Book Review/Cover Reveal! - BLACKTHORNE by Clayton W. Snyder

 

Out of This World SFF is so pleased to be able to bring you (along with my good friends at Grimdark Magazine), the official Cover Reveal for Clayton W. Snyder's upcoming new release BLACKTHORNE! Clayton is one of my favorite authors and has written a number of grimdark/dark fantasy classics like River of Thieves, The Obsidian Psalm, Demons, Ink, and Norylska Groans (with Michael R. Fletcher). NG was tied for my top read of 2021. His latest book is a different kind of story than what we've seen from him in the past. I mean, there are witches, military sf elements, cyberpunk, ghosts, magic... He's really outdone himself with this one I think. I'm going to do this reveal a little differently from previous reveals as I've already had a chance to read an advance copy of the book. So you are not only going to get a look at the breathtaking cover by Felix Ortiz, but also the added bonus of a book review as well! Let's start off by building some anticipation with a brief description of BLACKTHORNE followed by my full review.

Back Cover Blurb

Orphan. Conman. Conscript. Inmate. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Mattias Temple, a failed cadre necromancer, is mauled by fate. When a rogue military squad kidnaps the governor and threatens the city with a magical plague, he has a shot to redeem a lifetime of mistakes and be the one thing he never thought possible. A hero.

Freed from prison, paired with Bridget, a Blackthorne operative, he sets out to right the one crime that truly haunts him.

As the body count rises Mattias finds himself neck-deep in trouble and drowning in ghosts. Hunted by the mercenary company he betrayed and facing the horrors of feral witchcraft, the question remains: who is Mattias Temple, and what does he want? Revenge? Or something more?

Review

Clayton W. Snyder is an author who is impressive for so many reasons. First, he has the ability to pen books that are so different in theme, setting, and tone. Whether it be low fantasy, fantasy westerns, heist fantasy, grimdark, and now with his latest book BLACKTHORNE - a mixture of cyberpunk and military sf in addition to just a sprinkle of witchcraft and magic. Another reason why I love Snyder's books is that he writes some of the best dialogue around, very reminiscent of the way Joe Abercrombie does in my opinion. The level of snark is always high and it brilliantly offsets the dark and intensely personal storylines that he often weaves into his work.

This book is a little different in that, yes the opening scene is one of the more violent and brutal that I have read, but after that it is relatively tame on the Snyder body count scale and settles into an engrossing melding of action, magic, extremely cool advanced sf tech, and imaginative worldbuilding. That's not to say that there aren't moments of that trademark Snyder grimdarkishness, but it's saved for the appropriate moments and that makes it all the more effective and powerful in my opinion.

Mattias Temple is a complex and intriguing main character. Born with a certain unique ability and growing up with an abusive father, a traumatic event suddenly leaves him under the supervision of those who operate Blackthorne. A cold facility for the especially gifted in the arts of necromancy among other things, Blackthorne is pitched as a place that will keep him safe while also honing his powers. But for all intents and purposes it is a demoralizing prison to Mattias. Daily life is pretty awful and you can find yourself in the morgue quickly if you don't have the protection of the right people.

One of those people just happens to be a most vile, despicable, sociopath named Amon. Snyder commented online that he wasn't sure whether Amon was enough of a bastard when he wrote him as the villain. I'm here to unequivocally say that I literally DESPISED this dude. My hatred for him is what fueled my late night reading sessions just hoping beyond hope that he eventually got what was coming to him. I mean, I wanted to reach into this book and take him out myself on more than one occasion, that's what a complete a-hole this guy is. So mission accomplished on the whole villain thing Clayton! There's an intense cat and mouse storyline between Mattias and Amon that really created an atmosphere of high stakes throughout.

Oh and just when I thought things couldn't get any better with this unputdownable book, that ending! There's nothing worse than being totally sucked into a book only to be let down by a flat or uninspired ending. No worries with BLACKTHORNE as the ending was stupid crazy and something that I didn't see coming. It rivalled the ending of Snyder's previous book Norylska Groans in both shock value and thrills. So if you love tremendous endings to books, I've got one for you.

I really can't say enough about BLACKTHORNE. All I can do is urge that you read it because I promise that you will be both entertained and also put through the emotional wringer. The thing that separates Clayton Snyder's stories from many in the genre is that they all include characters who are deeply real and experience some form of pain and loss that pretty much everyone can relate to. As a result I always find myself rooting for them even if they sometimes use questionable methods to achieve their objectives. Most of us know the feeling of being dealt a crap hand and Mattias Temple has been dealt one of the worst in his young life. Mattias may not fit the standard definition of a hero, but this story in particular shows us that heroes don't always wear capes and save kittens from trees. Truly a mesmerizing read that I recommend to anyone who loves sf and fantasy with guts, heart, and feeling.

Rating:

Okay now that you know my feelings with regard to the brilliant story contained in this book, I want to finally reveal the stunning, dazzling, just absolutely gorgeous cover art designed by the phenomenal one of a kind talent Felix Ortiz!

Wow, words cannot do that cover justice, am I right?!!!!

About the Author

I’m the co-author of SPFBO finalist Norylska Groans, which Anthony Ryan (Blood Song) described as “Rich in bone crunching violence and a grimly convincing sense of place and character.” Michael R. Fletcher (Beyond Redemption) called Obsidian Psalm “Dark, visceral and unflinching.” Several of my other novels have been SPFBO semi-finalists. I’ve also authored numerous short stories, my most recent, Injustice, at Three Crows Magazine, which has been compared to Gene Wolfe’s work. I currently split my time between work and writing. I have worked as a systems admin, chainsaw operator, and once did an ill-advised stint as a bodyguard because I am ‘really tall’. You can connect with me online via my Website, Twitter, and Goodreads.

And that concludes my combination book review/cover reveal for Clayton W. Snyder's BLACKTHORNE! I really hope you enjoyed it and I encourage anyone who hasn't checked out Clayton Snyder's books to do so the first opportunity you get. They are always incredibly well written with amazing dialogue, snarkily funny, and just wonderfully brutal and intense stories. I can't say enough how much this guy is a "drop everything and read his books" kind of author. And he seems to just keep getting better and better. Anywhoooo, that's all for today. As always thanks so much for visiting and supporting the blog and a big HAPPY READING to you all!

- Nick