Peter Newman (6)

The first book in the trilogy was good, the second better, the third the best. Also, book 1 was fantasy, book 2 science-fantasy, book 3 full (mostly military) scifi, with a natural evolution that did not feel out of place.
Well written, with very good characters (mainly the infernals and half-breeds, unfortunately the Seven were annoying and lacked depth), plenty of twists, plots and betrayals, a lot of war and battles, a very good and balanced view of how the Holocaust might have felt like from both sides, some good messages of tolerance, some good humor, a lot of bizarre imagination (in the good sense, as being highly original).
Why not 5/5 then? Most of the book did feel extraordinary, but there are some (large) parts that drag on, and the ending (the last 70-80 pages) is overlong, boring and really unnecessary stretched.… (mere)

The good: poetic, melancholic, original background, very dark, solid world-building, interesting interaction between the antagonists. Very good start (first 25%), extremely good ending (last 25%).
The bad: somewhat simplistic, somewhat YA, over-ambiguous at times, over-Christian (forgive thy enemy... even when it is a bad idea), sluggish, even boring middle (50%), underdeveloped main character, too easily to defeat archenemies.
Liked the goat, though.
Enjoyed enough to read the sequel, but only moderately looking forward to it.… (mere)

I enjoyed a lot the highly original and very complex word-building and secondary characters (especially the Infernals). I loved some of the quasi-antagonists (the First, the Man-Shape, Samael) and got thrills from some of the really really bad guys. I also loved the writing - often very poetic.
The story is much better, complex, realistic and developed than the first book in the series.
All in all, a very good book that would have gotten a 5/5 from me... except the main character, Vesper. Not only could I not feel for her YA... everything, but even so she was unconvincingly built as a character: always failing and being weak (so no suspense ever in her behavior); and being the whole book one way, then, in the end, suddenly acting the opposite just to close the story. Then back to the former self, as if nothing happened.
So, a 5/5 book as a whole, but with a very big drawback.… (mere)

The Vagrant is a silent man, a wanderer with a magic sword, a baby, and a goat. This is the story of his journey through a post-Demonic apocalypse world and the family he starts to build in it.

I loved this book, in a way that kind of astounds me. I bought it on the recommendation of its similarities to Dark Souls, and that recommendation was spot on. The core idea, the feeling of a world and powerful entities within it caught in decay and decline, is evoked perfectly here, and at the same time the glimpse into how people adapt to, and sometimes even embrace, corruption feels so unspeakably real. At the same time, the bleak world is studded with both hope and humor, for a perfect balance of darkness and light. And more than anything, the Vagrant is a good man, a decent man, and it shows in his every action and reaction.

The characterization in The Vagrant is outstanding. I can only assume that Peter Newman is a truly gifted observer of the world, because the way that every character in the books feels true to the core could only come from heart-deep understanding. Even the goat, THE GOAT, is a fully fleshed character while still remaining truly and utterly goatlike. It's amazing. And Vesper, the baby! She's perfect. She's a baby, and a person, and full of character it's almost painful.

It's almost shocking, really, how human this book is considering how inhuman the world it depicts is. The people and land are growing ever more tainted by the Demonic invasion, and even the "pure" humanity in the north is wrapped in eerie light of entities that are anything but human. Yet between these two poles, people get on with their lives as they have ever done, and it's beautiful in a way. There is badness there, of course, but there is also the Vagrant and his simple decency, wrapped up in the power of a sentient, unstoppable sword.

It's a heady mixture, and one I can recommend wholeheartedly to fans of adventure, action, and human drama alike.

… (mere)