The Steel Remains

By: Richard K. Morgan

Narrated by: Simon Vance

In just a few short years, Richard K. Morgan has vaulted to the pinnacle of the science fiction world. Now he turns his iconoclastic talents to epic fantasy, crafting a darkly violent, tautly plotted adventure sure to thrill old fans and captivate new readers.

A dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs the footsteps of Ringil Eskiath - Gil, for short - a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose world-weary cynicism is surpassed only by the quickness of his temper and the speed of his sword. That sword, forged by a vanished eldritch race known as the Kiriath, has brought him unlooked-for notoriety, as has his habit of poking his nose where it doesn't belong.

Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but that doesn't stop his mother from enlisting his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery. Grumbling all the way, Gil sets out to track her down. But it soon becomes apparent that more is at stake than the fate of one luckless young woman. Grim sorceries that have not been seen for centuries are awakening in the land. Some speak in whispers of the return of an all-but-legendary race known as the Aldrain, cruel yet beautiful demons feared even by the Kiriath.

Now Gil and two old comrades are all that stand in the way of a prophecy whose fulfillment will drown an entire world in blood. But with heroes like these, the cure is likely to be worse than the disease.

©2009 Richard K. Morgan (P)2009 Tantor

What's with all the hate?

When I heard that Richard K. Morgan wrote a fantasy novel I thought Wow. When I looked up the book here at Audible and saw that it was in audio I said this is great. But when I started reading the reviews that others have written I thought 'OMG are these people for real.' If you are a fan of RKM's books you know that he writes explicit sex scenes at times. Why is it a surprise? Oh wait, it's because the explicit scenes in this novel are gay in nature. All I can say is get over it. RKM is a great writer regardless of the main character's sexual orientation.

Dark.

What made the experience of listening to The Steel Remains the most enjoyable?

The story itself has an atmosphere of constant brooding tension and incipient horror.

What did you like best about this story?

The alien-ness and magical creepiness of the antagonists was a refreshing change from standard fantasy fare, and the protagonists - weary, drug-addicted 30-somethings - were fresh as well.

Did Simon Vance do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He does great voices.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The part with the heads on the trees was incredibly creepy.

Any additional comments?

The problem most people will have with this book (and with Morgan's other books) is the frequency of explicit, extended sex scenes. In the audio version, it's difficult to skip these.

Fantastic novel with graphic violence and sex.

Richard K. Morgan seems like the love child of Gorge RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie. An extreme book in all regards. If you are even semi easily offended skip this one. Otherwise, you would be a fool to miss it!

Did not expect graphic gay sex

Enjoy adult content in a good story but 3 min gay sex scenes were too much for me. Story was decent and performance was great.

Visceral and Gritty

Finally a sword and sorcery novel with LGBT characters that feels like it was written for a serious audience. Great narration and decent writing. I plan to continue the series.