(Title: The Bloody Chorus / Author: John Marco / Publisher: Lonely Archer Press / Publication Date: February 8, 2023 / Total Pages: 400)
Back Cover Blurb
Two empires...one in decline, the other ascendant and hungry for conquest.
Upon his father's mysterious assassination, young Haru reluctantly becomes ruler - Tain - of his once-fearsome island nation. Threatened by a world they once dominated, Haru's people, the Cryori, struggle with the peace the ole Tain championed, nostalgic for the violent glories of their past. But across the ocean, an alliance of old enemies has formed, led by a madman bent on righting old wrongs. Enigmatic and fanatical, Reius decries the Cryori and their living gods, determined to erase their influence and beliefs.
Now Haru must get justice for his murdered father and defend his people from the coming scourge over the sea. Promising his ancient, grieving goddess to kill Reius, he reunites his father's failed circle of protectors - a magical band of avenging misfits known as the Bloody Chorus.
Review
John Marco is an author who holds a pretty special place for me. His debut series, Tyrants and Kings, is among my very favorite of all-time. It's a masterful blend of military and epic fantasy that came at a pivotal time and really transformed me from just a casual fantasy reader to a die hard obsessed one (Yes, you are to blame John). Marco's follow-up trilogy, The Bronze Knight was also fantastic, followed by the tie-in standalone The Forever Knight. And then for the better part of a decade we didn't get another John Marco book (for reasons that we don't need to get into). Nevertheless, there wasn't a year that went by that I didn't google his name to see if there might be a new book in the works or to get any sniff of info/rumor I could. And then just a few months ago it happened. The fabulous news that John Marco was back! Not only that, he was releasing a new novel in February! I quickly jumped at the chance to request an advance copy which the author was kind enough to provide for me. And with that, I gleefully dove in to see if the magic was still there.
THE BLOODY CHORUS fires right out of the gate with an unspeakable act of treachery, and doesn't let up on the throttle for one second until the breathtaking conclusion. The Cryori have lived in a holding pattern of prosperity and peace for quite some time under their old ruler Sha'an. But the kingdom is thrown into flux when the aging Tain's life is taken by an assassin. As his son Haru transitions into taking the reins as the new Tain, a fanatical zealot from J'hora sees an opportunity to consolidate all of the surrounding neighbors into one singular alliance.
Teetering on the edge of madness, Reius feverishly scrawls down messages in his secluded tower that he believes are directives from his god Taan. Those who do not wish to submit to the will of Taan are to be convinced through conquest or forced conversion. And if necessary, a torturous death. Eventually Reius turns his eyes squarely across the sea toward Haru's home of Nesenor, the only remaining holdout. But Haru has plans of his own as he has strong suspicions that the madman across the water is directly responsible for his father's murder. It is becoming increasingly clear that although there are some desperately calling for peace, there WILL BE BLOOD.
I'm happy to report that not only is the magic still there when it comes to John Marco's storytelling skills, it has been taken to extraordinary levels in THE BLOODY CHORUS. I made the comment on Twitter that this book has so much going on in it that it felt like I read an entire series in this just the first book. That's not just lip service, there are so many storylines, so much misdirection, such unpredictability of character motivations and alliances. If you are looking for a read that constantly keeps you engaged and on your toes, you should read this book immediately because I never knew what to expect or what road Marco was taking me down at any given moment. To my absolute delight.
When I say unpredictability of character motivations and alliances, it really is one of the many reasons why I love John Marco's writing. He has this innate ability to make even the worst villain sort of redeemable, to the point where there's a part of you that kind of roots for them against your own better judgement. Conversely he also has a knack for making his "heroes" flawed and shows them in a brutally honest way, sometimes even highlighting the fact that they may not be as honorable and pure as they might seem initially. I guess you could call it morally gray, but that feels like such a cliche. I just think that Marco does a splendid job of showing through words and actions how there is both good and bad in everyone.
THE BLOODY CHORUS is a book that I wish I could put in every fantasy lover's hands and say "trust me, just read this." It's a book that constantly made me stop and go "Whoa, holy f--- I can't believe that just happened." Marco's worldbuilding is consistently of the highest quality and he has populated this brilliant world with some of the most horrifying and unsettling creatures, bickering and vindictive living gods, and vile feral beasts imaginable. I don't even have the words to explain the magnificent trip this book took me on and if this opening salvo is any indication, this might just end up being my favorite John Marco series when all is said and done. And that's really saying something.
The bottom line is THE BLOODY CHORUS is bloody perfection and a triumphant return for one of the all-time great fantasy writers. Ten years was more than worth the wait and I truly hope that this book gets the overwhelming praise and accolades it so rightly deserves. Be sure to get your preorders in now as it officially drops in just two days on February 8th!
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