Jason
One of the most original fantasy(?) books I have read. Pacing is a bit weird, but definitely highly recommended.
I got halfway through before accepting it was not for me. I would class this as dark YA fantasy.
A great slow burn ghost story. I suspect i would have gotten more out of it if I had read more Dickens.
Wonderful worldbuilding with deep characters and a good balance of humour and grim action.
Read this soon after The Blacktongue Thief, also by Christopher Buehlman, and I will be chasing up the rest of his work on the strength of these two reads. The Lesser Dead is a vampire novel with a perfect balance of horror and humanity. Buehlman successfully builds an original vampire-haunted world with a good balance of tropes and unique lore.
The final book in this current series, and to be honest, Williams could have written any old plot provided he didn't diverge from his style and cast of characters. I have been reading this series since I was seventeen, and as much as I hate this cliche, every book feels like coming home.
I read this back to back with The Navigators Children, and I enjoyed this one more. Probably because I new there was more to come.
This collection reminded me of Peter Carey's early short stories. Eerie, unsettling stories written in a straightfoward fashion. The final entry, 'Reunion' will stay with me for a long time, I think.
Came for the epic fantasy barbarian style rough housing. Stayed for the generational trauma, compassion, and healing.