Snakewood

By: Adrian Selby

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

An epic fantasy like no other, Adrian Selby's debut takes an unblinking look at the price we pay for our pasts, the art of war and the people who make it their business. Enter a violent world of revenge and bloody combat with characters you'll never forget.

They called them Kailen's Twenty, a legendary band of ruthless mercenaries who gave no quarter. Living only by the code of steel, blood and coin, and aided by fightbrews that gave them the edge in battle, whoever met their price won.

Now, broken up and seemingly forgotten, they are being hunted down, one by one.

Drawn from multiple accounts compiled by a scholar investigating the legendary group's demise, who is also the son of one of the Twenty, Snakewood is fantasy at its most inventive and rewarding.

Critic reviews

"Set in a brutal world of subtle magic, clashing empires, and commercial interests, this is an impressive fantasy debut. Selby demonstrates the command of style, character, plotting, and world building of a seasoned author."—Booklist

Betrayal and retribution epitomize Selby's epic fantasy/thriller debut, set in an Earth-like, barbaric, drugged-up society reliant on plant-based narcotic concoctions for addictive potions and deadly poisons. His detail-heavy, conversational dialogue in memoir/journal design and his militant, Berserker-ish characters keep pages turning. Perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie.—RT Book Reviews

"Not your typical grimdark fantasy....While it's a complex tale, this is also an immensely readable one, and should appeal to fans of the immersive world-building of Brandon Sanderson. Selby constructs his world on a personal, visceral level, making sure we feel everything that happens to the narrators."—BarnesandNoble.com

"I give it nothing but the highest recommendation."—Grimdark Magazine

"Original and effective ... relish the well-choreographed action scenes."—Library Journal

"Contemporary and grimdark as it comes."—British Fantasy Society

"Absolutely fascinating and incredibly original."—Sense of Wonder

"Wears its grimdark on its sleeve ... a thrilling tale of adventure, betrayal, triumph and loss."—Interzone

"Grim mercenaries and badass alchemists brought to life by a bold, assured storyteller."—Peter Newman, author of The Vagrant

"A lot to enjoy, especially if you are a fan of dark, gritty, old-soldier stories."—Fantasy Faction

"Uniquely dark and gritty fantasy. An intriguing debut."—Bibliosanctum

Beautiful prose details murder and revenge....

Although it took longer than expected to delve into the meat of this story, I was entranced with the writing and the narrator. Ultimately, I began to loathe a main character and wanted to wipe him from the board! All characters come alive in this revenge chase until the reader learns the actual truth that has been camouflaged until near the end.

great story great narrator great writer

its hard to find really good books, some books are good story but have grade school writing. this here is peak writing complex and powerful

Incredible Grimdark Fantasy

This book is incredible and I am shocked it only has 52 reviews. I found this book as a recommendation from Joe Abercrombie at the end of one of his First Law books. It did not disappoint! The whole premise of revenge by mercs hopped up on different potions to enhance their ability to kill was not only original and exciting but extremely well done. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy over the age of 13. Really a great book with original ideas

A very good fantasy novel, incredible performance

This is a good book made into an incredible audio book by Joe Jameson.

Strengths:
Character development
Narative/plot
Performance
Unique take on performance enhancing drugs

Weaknesses:
Image work
Action scenes
A few minor logical issues

While the quality of the prose is good, its surpassed by the weaving of a multi-perspective, non-linear narrative. While I did see the twist coming, it wasn't because of any mistakes. At times I thought some of the image work wasn't as strong as it could be, but the character work is excellent and its hard not to admire the story.

What really pushes this to five stars instead of four is the performance. Its one of the best I've heard so far. I legitimately thought it was more than one voice actor, he was that good.


Worth the credits/money.

too rambling

30 minute story dragged out into novel length. There is a lot of dependence on the use of plant based drugs, but after a point it becomes a crutch.