Book Review - ASH AND BONES by Michael R. Fletcher

                                                             

        

(Title: Ash and Bones / Author: Michael R. Fletcher / Publisher: Self-Published / Publication Date: August 1, 2020 / Pages: 661)

For those who have never read anything by Michael R. Fletcher, there are a few things that you should know.  First, his books always contain mind-blowing magical elements.  Part of the reason why I love reading his books is that the magic is heavy, it's way dark, and it usually makes my jaw drop at least once a chapter.  He is also a master of incredible world-building.  Take for instance this series, City of Sacrifice.  The setting of Bastion was literally created by the gods after they tore apart the previous one in a bloody apocalyptic war.  Now Bastion is a city separated into different rings by class.  The lowest class populates the very outer ring of Bastion, while the priests, who keep everyone in their place and working in their particular disciplines, are the highest and make up the inner ring.  Pretty cool concept so far right?

Without giving away too much of what transpired in book 1 Smoke and Stone, let's just say that the lower classes (the Growers in particular) begin to question how Bastion has been ruled over the years, and there is a bit of unrest brewing to put it mildly.  The priests have been merciless in their subjugation of those in the outer rings and a time of reckoning was bound to occur sooner or later.  But it remained to be seen whether or not an uprising could even take place let alone be successful.  It wasn't until the end of the first book that we truly got our answer and it was quite a finish to say the least.

ASH AND BONES picks up right where the first book left off and boy does it turn up the action and violence tenfold!   Akachi, the pious priest who believes it is his duty to save Bastion from total annihilation has become even more devoutly obsessed with his mission to hunt down those who would threaten his city.  His drug-induced visions have led him to this point and he now sees himself as God of the Hunt.  Akachi has gone from a timid young priest to a warrior and killing machine with one sole purpose: hunt and eliminate those who would overthrow the status quo.  But are his powers even enough to hold back what may be coming?  For it seems that the gods have chosen sides and are using the human inhabitants of Bastion as their pawns in a brand new war.  

On the other side of this struggle are the Growers (or Dirts) Efra and Nuru.  They are the hunted but are by no means defenseless as they wield powerful magic of their own that could tip the scales in their favor against Akachi and his fellow nahual.  And they are gaining a following that is growing in defiance and absolute rage.  For they believe that the Growers have lived under the heel of the brutal authoritarian rule of the inner ring priests for far too long.  They feel strongly that their time to make a stand and change things is now or never.

Wow, what a bloody intense read this was.  Where Smoke and Stone was a perfect laying out of the setting and class system culminating in a fantastic ending, ASH AND BONES is a full-stop power play where the fate of humanity is at stake and the chess maneuvering of gods plays out for everyone to see.  This book is also quite a bit bigger in page count than its predecessor at 661 pages.  But please don't let that deter you from reading it because there is so much going on that I didn't even realize I had just read a hefty book.

The awesome world-building is still there, the ridiculously insane magic and sorcery has gotten even better, and I'm happy to say that Fletcher's signature penchant for a little bit of the ultraviolence (okay a lot) is also turned up considerably.  All of this is terrific news and it made me enjoy ASH AND BONES even more than the first book.  If you like grimdark or really outstanding dark fantasy, Michael R. Fletcher should be at the top of your list of favorite authors.

Another aspect of this book that I loved was how much the main characters have evolved from when we were introduced to them.  Some maybe not in the best of ways to be honest.  Fletcher has managed to create a story where there is no obvious good or evil side but rather just varying degrees of evil.  The supposed "good guys" claim the moral high ground while dishing out the worst kind of oppression imaginable.   And some of those who are the oppressed have motivations of their own that go beyond simply wanting to live free.  One thing is for sure as the book blurb states, nothing is as it seems.  

I'll wrap up my review by saying that ASH AND BONES is a brilliant read that doesn't lag at all despite its somewhat imposing size.  Every chapter reveals another piece of this mesmerizing puzzle and I couldn't help but grab the book every free moment that I got because I kept wanting to get back to it.  Be forewarned though, Michael R. Fletcher's books are highly addictive.  If you pick up this series and read it you may just read them all (which I am sure he'd be fine with).  I have to say that Michael is a really talented writer at the top of his game right now and this book just continues that upward trajectory in my opinion.   

Rating: 10/10