Book Review - THE OBSIDIAN PSALM by Clayton Snyder

(Title: The Obsidian Psalm / Author: Clayton Snyder / Publisher: Self-Published / Publication Date: January 7, 2020)

Let me begin my review by saying that dark fantasy is kind of my thing.  Out of all of the sub-genres of fantasy, it's truly my very favorite to read.  I don't know what this says about me personally, but I can't help it.  I get lost in the horror aspects that these books are infused with and there's just something about an evil necromancer or a hideous demon that builds up the tension magnificently and has always made me turn the pages with gusto.

So when I read the description of Clayton Snyder's THE OBSIDIAN PSALM, well it seemed like a natural fit to be quite honest.  I mean, a shadow war between necromancers?  What's not to like, right?  And so it was with a great deal of anticipation and excitement that I sat down and began my incredibly wild ride with THE OBSIDIAN PSALM.

The story takes place mostly in and around the ancient infernal city of Golgoth.  It is told in an interesting staggered timeline fashion where each chapter either leaps a little forward or back depending on what story line is being put forth  The chapters are also labelled BC for "Before Chant" and AC for "After Chant"  What is this Chant you ask?  Well, I can't tell you because that would kind of ruin things, suffice it to say that it is pretty central to the main story and the mysterious nature of it is actually one of the things that made this book such a compelling one for me.

The book is all about gods at war with each other in a timeless struggle for power using humans and necromancers to fight their battles.  Often times these battles are extremely bloody as one would expect and the body count is incredibly high and brutally depicted.  The gods want to win these wars so badly that they often times resort to resurrecting some of the deceased warriors through their necromancer servants and re-equipping their bodies for future battles still to come.  It all gets a tad bit dark as many of these resurrected humans still retain bits and pieces of memory from their former incarnations (here's where the staggered timeline comes into play).  And frankly, it's torture for some as they aren't sure exactly how long they've been dead.

Rook is one of those who have been lifted from death to do the bidding of one of these all powerful deities.  The book follows him through his journey as he plays the part of the good foot soldier, while secretly harboring an ambition of his own - revenge against those who thought they could use him as a puppet and slave to their whims.  But to exact that revenge he must first survive in a place where survival is all but impossible.  It's literally a hell on earth where the ultimate battle will be unlike anything ever witnessed before.

Well, this was not a warm and fuzzy read.  Clayton Snyder has always had a penchant to lean dark in his books, but this one ramps the dark up to eleven (my apologies for the gratuitous Spinal Tap reference).  If Joe Abercrombie is Lord Grimdark, then Clayton surely has at the very least inherited the title Duke or Baron Grimdark.  That's not to say that THE OBSIDIAN PSALM is all blood and guts and no story.  Oh there is an engaging and fantastic story that propels the narrative and creates a sense of mystery that makes it difficult to stop reading.  It's definitely a book that encourages you to devour it in large chunks at a time.

There were a number of things that I really liked about this book.  First, the dialogue is just remarkable.  I'm hard-pressed to find even a handful of authors who can write the kind of seamless and witty dialogue that Clayton Snyder has mastered.  There are a ton of quotes in this book that will make you say to yourself "how did he come up with that?" and some that even made me erupt in outright laughter.  That's difficult to pull off with a book that is as violently dark as this one is, but Clayton managed to do it quite a few times between all of the carnage.

Going hand in hand with the impressive dialogue were the characters themselves.  Main character Rook has his own demons to grapple with that involve his past.  The first-person narrative really suits his character in my opinion, because we get to be immersed in his most intimate thoughts and these thoughts don't always coincide with his actions at the time.  But having that first-person style I thought gave this story an added dimension that it might otherwise not have had if told any other way.  The secondary characters were also complex and well developed.  

The book ends in an apocalyptic insanity that will leave you wondering what the hell just happened, while at the same time feeling like you just read something pretty awesome.  I am still speechless and kind of broken by what I just experienced.  And I mean that in a really good way.  It's not often that a book challenges you and puts you through the ringer the way that THE OBSIDIAN PSALM did to me.  If you like your fantasy books dark, with a healthy amount of cool sorcery and bloody battles, and characters who are placed in no-win situation after no-win situation but continue to fight against the odds anyway, then you should check out THE OBSIDIAN PSALM.  I'm glad that I read it and look forward to reading many more books from author Clayton Snyder.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Comments

  1. Great review. Really want to read this now!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the review. It was definitely a cool book.

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