Mike Shackle's first book in his The Last War series, We Are the Dead, was my favorite read of 2019 and turned me into an instant fan. It somehow managed to convey the violence and heartbreak of war while also showing how a determined few can tenaciously grasp onto hope even in the darkest of times. I found myself going through so many emotions while reading it and although exhausted and somewhat broken, I knew that I had read a special book that would fast track the sequel to the top of my must read list.
Now that I have finished the second book A FOOL'S HOPE, I'm not sure that I can fully articulate how different, yet equally remarkable it truly is in comparison to WAtD. By different, I mean that some of the viewpoints have changed in book two. For instance, we get to see things from the enemy Egril side much more here. It's not a flattering portrayal to say the least, but it provided a better framing of the motivations driving those attempting to conquer Jia. I enjoyed getting that perspective even if I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room in anger a few times.
One of the Egril perspectives in particular that made quite an impact on me was of the young military recruit Mateon. Raised from birth to be the perfect soldier and killing machine, he believes that war is a glorious thing that brings honor to himself in service to the all-powerful Egril god Kage. It isn't until he is enlisted in the Imperial Majesty's Army that he sees the reality of what this war with Jia has brought about. We sense his struggle to reconcile what he has always been taught with what he is seeing with his own eyes and it is some of the most powerful stuff I have ever read.
This book deals a lot more with how war effects the everyday citizen and not just the military combatants involved. The actual horror of war and those who are caught in the middle is a big theme running throughout and Shackle definitely doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the ghastly details. In the hands of a lesser writer this story would come off as just another grimdark bloodfest with no depth beyond that. But Shackle gives us much more than just gore and intense battles, he also brings those dedicated to the resistance to life in such a way that we feel their pain, sympathize with their plight, and cheer them on as they fight against astronomical odds.
I was more than delighted to discover that the incredible magic that makes this a standout fantasy story is even more present in A FOOL'S HOPE. Everything from dark sorcery, magic grenades, travelling portals... it is all here and it is glorious to behold. I love a story with cool magic so to see it taken to an even higher degree in book two was a treat for sure. If you enjoy books that explore new and inventive magic systems, then this is definitely the series you should be reading.
I had extremely high expectations for A FOOL'S HOPE based on my outright adoration of book one. I realize that this can be somewhat unfair and it often subconsciously sets the next book up for failure. Well, this book obliterated that within the first 50 pages and then continued to leave me in awe at how much the stakes were raised and how the characters stepped up to face the challenge. They don't always win but they never fail to inspire. I feel I am physically embedded with so many of these characters. That truly is the mark of a talented author who can breathe life into the individuals that he is writing about.
Ultimately, A FOOL'S HOPE is an unforgettable book that builds successfully upon the first in so many ways. If you are looking for a gritty dark fantasy read that doesn't cede any ground in the areas of raw emotion and heart, then you should really check out The Last War series by Mike Shackle. Beautiful world-building, inventive magic, deep characters, and bone shattering battles are just some of the elements that make up this remarkable reading odyssey. It has firmly entrenched itself as my favorite fantasy series right now and I am not ready to let it go anytime soon. So please keep them coming Mike and I will gladly devour each breathtaking chapter.
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2021
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Top reviews from other countries
- Farhad ShawkatReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2024
First book was excellent, this one really raises the bar
- LilyReviewed in Germany on December 4, 2020
Second instalment of an amazing series
A Fool’s Hope is the second instalment in the The Last War series by Mike Shakle.LilySecond instalment of an amazing series
Reviewed in Germany on December 4, 2020
Many People say that the second book is often the weakest and the hardest to write book in a trilogy. I completely disagree with that statement. Some of my most favorite books of trilogies are the second tomes. My two most favorite examples are The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers and the Nevernight Chronicles, Darkdawn. And like those two I have to admit I enjoyed reading A Fool’s Hope even more than its predecessor We Are the Dead.
A Fool’s Hope picks up straight where We Are the Dead left off. As in the previous book we meet our main protagonists again: Tinnstra, Zorique, Jax, Yas, Dren and Hasan. The chapters are told by an omniscient narrator from their point of view. But we also met new characters like for example Ralasis, a famous sea captain of Meigore. Not only the Jians and Meigorans get their own chapters but also two Egril: Mateon and Francis. Mateon is a young boy who just became an Egril Skull-soldier. I honestly enjoyed his chapters as he shows the reader that most Egril are simply mislead humans who are religious fanatics but if confronted with the reality of war, they suffer as much as everyone else and not all of them are evil monsters: „Just stay alive, kid, and maybe one day we walk away from all this shit. Maybe pretend it never happened.“
The other Egril whose perspective we get to know is Francis, a chosen, being at the court of Meigore. He might not be as mad as Monsuta from book one but he is not better in anyway.
Not only do we get new Egril and Meigore perspectives but also Zorique gets her own chapters. To not spoil too much I will keep quiet about her, just let it be said that she is amazing! 👑
We also get chapters of our well loved protagonists and some manage to fulfil their character arcs with Tinnstra leading the way. There is not much left of the little scared girl she used to be but she turns fiercer and fiercer. „Whatever happened to the girl who was afraid to fight?“ ⚔️
All of them have to carry their burden from the first 📚 book. But they’ve all also grown so much in book one already.
Like „We Are the Dead“ A Fool’s Hope is very fast paced with its velocity reaching a climax towards the end. It is never easy for me to find time to read with two kids but towards the end (around 2 hours till the ending) I simply could not put the book down and got less sleep than normally.
There are some processes that come to an end in this second instalment but many are left open and will -hopefully – be concluded in the next book. On the last page we already catch a glimpse about what is to come and I anticipate and dread it at the same time.
As in his debut the world building in this book is superb and it offers many different tropes. Mike Shackle once said on twitter that there is even a love story to be found. Well, after reading that I did expect a bit more in that field but he did not lie. There is love, hate, violence, time travel, magic, blood, darkness and throughout the book the reoccurring fool’s hope.
So I assume this book will be found in the grim dark fantasy section.
But is it really grim dark?
Of course there is violence, blood, murder and mayhem but in contrast to other books, which are not considered grim dark, e.g. J.R.R.Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice, there are certain lines that are not crossed. One incident had me dreading what was to come immensely. At some point in the book Yas – who turned into one of my favorite characters – is separated from her boy Ro. I kind of expected to get torture, rape and abuse as with for example Theon and Ramsay in J.R.R. Martin’s aforementioned book. Lucky for me it did not get as bad as I apprehended it.
„They thought her weak because she had a child, because she cared about people, about her city.“
I am not saying that this book is not dark but there are grimmer books that do not carry the title grim dark.
It still is no book for the too soft hearted but I am not the toughest person there is on this planet and I immensely enjoyed reading this book.
So far -and I expect it to stay this way- this is my most favourite book 📖 I have read in 2020. And this series is on the best way to turn into one of my absolute favourites. That is also why I hope that it will get translated to German at some point so I can pester my friends to get it or give it to them as a present. 🎁
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- jenniferReviewed in Canada on February 22, 2021
Mike Shackle brought his A-game to A Fool’s Hope
