A city divided by magic, poverty and guilds pulls three unlikely allies into its game of war and Gods. One is a Ghoul, a humanoid being that belongs in the dark underbelly of the world. Another is the son of a revolutionary cursed with an affliction that renders him an outcast, and the last is a girl with hidden gifts to commune with the Gods of old.

Hanrahan's debut is a gritty dark fantasy with new life breathed into the genre. We have the city of Guerdon, which feels like a character in itself, housing secrets and tricks at every turn and down every dark alley. And amongst these streets we have the weird and wonderful inhabitants, rich in diversity, from the strange Tallowmen crafted from wax by the alchemist guild to guard the city, to the Gullhead brawlers and bounty hunters. Its a complex story, incredibly detailed, and as such it did take me a long time to read because the story needs, and deserves, the readers full attention. Especially when you add the complicated political machinations and scheming of everyone involved. The world building spans centuries alone.

I will say that I wanted more from the Gods war. We never really see the frontline or any of the action from the war itself. In Geurdon its just this far off war that doesn't effect this city due to its neutrality, but the stakes would have been higher if we could have got some explanation as to why the war was happening. I also wanted more from our main characters. There's such a plethora of secondary characters that end up being really richly described and explored (especially Jere and Eladora) that I found at times they overshadowed Rat and Cari in particular. Rat is obviously a massive enigma anyway, given that he lives in the shadows, but I do think he was underused somewhat in the later stages of the story. Cari also becomes a bit of a deus ex machina by the end too, but I'm hoping that her character growth will be shown more in the sequel because as of yet I don't think she's really Kearny much from her experiences here.

A unique dark fantasy, where the city is one of the main characters. I'm really interested to see where this series goes, although the complexity of the stories might mean I need to wait a little while before diving in.

So The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan ranks right up there, in terms of my most anticipated books of 2019 and the pre-publication buzz has been nothing short of fantastic. I stalk Gareth on his blog and followed his reddit AMA and so no wonder, when I got approved for the ARC for Gutter Prayer, I was way over the moon, sun and all the stars.

Now having breathlessly finished his gut-punchy debut, I guess I finally know what all the fuzz was about. And well deserved, I might add. Grim-dark by way of New Weird (Think China Mievelle) Gareth has built an immensely intricate and detailed world in his accomplished debut, The Gutter Prayer. Friendships, betrayals and forgotten myths come alive in a mad chaotic tale set in the ancient city of Guerdon - a crumbling metropolis that runs on alchemy and broken faith. Three unlikely allies go up against ancient guilds, a corrupt watch and a horde of demons from the underworld as the world around them gets caught up in an age-old war. Alchemical bombs, magically changed creatures, the hungry undead, Gareth really pulls no stops in coming up with his inventive take on "lovecraftian" horror and plugs the book chockablock with creatures that will twist and blow your mind.

The story takes off in a very interesting manner, through a second-person narrative as we watch a heist unfold inside this guarded library called the Tower of Law. What was to be simple smash and grab turns on its head and we soon realise it's all going to hell when the Tower of Law catches alchemical fire that blows up the tower. Up in flames, are also the ambitions of the three small-time thieves who realise that this mission might have been more than just a simple 'retrieve a few documents' kind of set up. They realise that there was probably a second team, sent in by their mistrusting boss. The backstabbings were just starting.

The three of them had been assigned to carry out this job by the 'Brotherhood' - a guild of thieves in the city of Guerdon headed by this slimy character called Henriel, a cunning survivor of all the previous attempts to cleanse the city of the 'Brotherhood' and who doesn't hesitate to sell his own, for a profit or to save his own skin (literally). The explosion sets into motion, a conspiracy that's been afoot for years now. A war bubbling in the undergrounds of the city and another larger one looming in the far-horizon where crazy Gods themselves are raging against each other. unfortunately for the thieves, it also makes them the hot targets for the 'Tallowmen'. [ Yeah you read that right - wax-zombies with lit wicks, zero emotions, armed with inhuman speed and a single-minded focus on neutralising a threat to security, in anyways possible. Creatures of alchemy!]

Cut to the three thieves themselves: They form the anchor point to how the narrative builds up in the aftermath of this amazing opening. Three of them are each extremely different from each other, thrown together by fate. After realising that they been thrown to the wolves by the head of the Brotherhood, Henreil, they each react in different manner. Carri - a young girl who has come back to her birth-city but is still an outsider to the Brotherhood of thieves, is seething to get back to Henreil for more than just this and this was the final nail on that coffin. But she gets captured and locked up in a prison along with her friend, Spar. Now Spar is the son of the greatest leader of the Brotherhood Igde but who unfortunately has caught the deadly stone-plague. He is slowly calcifying and dying from the inside, turning into a 'stone-man'. He shares his father's ideals and wants to keep the 'brotherhood' clean, executing on the noble ambitions of his now dead-father. He vows to die just like his father, never once ratting out his 'brothers'. The third one in the group is Rat, a ghoul who prefers the 'surface' world more than the deep dark underground tunnels, devoid of light and munching on 'corpse-flesh'. Rat is content to let the crazy Carri run amok with her vengeance plans or Spar take on the leader's role to whip up the revolution, preferring to play the quiet side-kick content to skulk in the dark corners, looking out for trouble and for himself.

Their loyalty and friendship is tested to the point of breaking when they each discover, in their own ways - that the neutral city of Guerdon may no longer be the safe haven that the city parliament proclaims it to be. There are ancient Gods coming back to life and horrors from the underground, long thought to be banished, coming up to the surface devouring life forms, just as easily as a flycatcher lapping up flies in summer.

It's a wondrous world that Gareth has painted and brought to life. Anchored around the amazing city of Guerdon, embellished with multiple cultures and a vibrant history. There are multiple sects engaged in their own show of faith and religiousness, myriad races apart from the plain humans (Gull-heads probably takes the cake! but then there are the corpse-eating Ghouls, the crawling ones who are a teeming mass of worms, the sorcerers and the saints...) and then there are the twisted variations of the animal-life (Raptequine! like when biology balks at itself and then twists to evolve into a monster that is a mix of a raptor and a horse!) that abound within Guerdon after having been subjected to experiments by the infamous 'Alchemist' guild. The society and the stratas within clearly distinguishing between the 'haves' ( Politicians or Guild Heads living in their bungalows and well-kept manicured gardens) and the have-nots ( the diseased, the poor scrounging for a living in the dirty hovels, an area known as the 'Wash') here is also well fleshed out.

Gareth's writing, I must admit, did throw me off a bit. Alternating between second and third POV, his visual and visceral style of writing that takes us around the twisting maze that is the city of Guerdon, is hard-hitting and unapologetic. For this reason, it does get a bit dense and you cannot really skim through anything for fear missing out on something substantial. This slowed down my reading but definitely reaped rich rewards as I was taken on an immersive, sometimes claustrophobic journey into the crumbling depths of this city - the smells and the sounds, the decay and the decadence, the fear and the horrors coming alive - all of this is very vividly painted out. A minor point really, where it possibly takes attention away from the characterization but not complaining.

Among the chief three protagonists, Carri comes across as a peevish, selfish young girl unwilling to look beyond herself. Her chief thoughts only revolve around saving her skin in quite of few of the sticky situations she's dragged into. Spar is the noble one, trying to live up to the legacy of his father, unwilling to accept that his large heart could possibly win over others in this seething, bubbling cauldron that is the Guerdon. The cityfolk need a hero but he is not ready to be one. Rat is actually the most fascinating of the lot and I would let you experience him in person as you read his unique perspectives. But he sheds light on the life underground of how Ghouls live and get by in this weird city.

Quite a few colorful side-characters too, who help move the narrative forward. I really liked a couple. Like Jere the thief-taker; His perspective unfolds almost like a noir-detective story as he tries to piece together the puzzle of what has hit the city - starting with that fire at the Temple of Law where someone's scribbled a threat, "this is not the last". His dialogues with his assistant Bolind were even humorous, a much needed levity to the pervading cloud of grim-dark that was beginning to take over. Then there's of course the concept of 'Saints' - the only one still alive and strong enough these days is Aleena. Who curses like a sailor-woman and is not afraid to admit that the Gods don't really guide her anymore and she just bulls through stuff, blinded and instinctively. There are a couple of more - like Carri's studious cousin Eladora who wants nothing more than to win her professor's affection and is jealous of the effortless 'charm' of Carri herself. There's the mysterious professor Ongent himself and his powerful, silent son Miren.

Overall, it's a heady mix of a many original and really clever ideas that come together very well to create a dark, compelling narrative. Gareth is a game-designer and his attention to detail from his 'day-job' shines through in every minutae within the dark underbelly of Guerdon that stands up to the light of his creativity. The pacing falters a bit here and there, as we dig through multiple folds of the narrative unfolding. And it's not an easy read, if you ask me but stick through and it becomes extremely enjoyable as we near the end of the journey. It's an incredible debut, bursting with fresh ideas executed pretty well and should rank damn near the top of 2019 reads, for many readers. Especially if their predilection runs to the grim-dark kinds. A great start to the year, for me personally. Looking forward to what comes out next, from his explosive insane mind. Take a bow, Gareth.

I really did struggle with this one.
In places it was excellent but in others it just dragged on and was boring.
I felt there should have been a book prior to this explaining the war and the gods.
Disappointing overall.

Received ARC from Little Brown Book company and Netgalley for honest read and review.
Gave this 3 stars,could be 3 1/2, quite a good story,some of the other comments rave about this one,but I wasn't that hooked on any of the characters,Finished it and it did flow ok,story was good ,but hopefully 2nd book will be better for me.

I really wanted to enjoy this one but unfortunately, the sum of its parts just did not work for me. It tells the story of Carillon, a thief on a job who finds herself in the centre of a battle for supremacy of the city. Hanrahan has created some fascinating creatures here - stone men, ravellers, ghouls, crawling ones - that show some real imagination. The plot did not cohere however, and in general I was bored for quite a lot of the narrative. The way that the narrative was structured meant that it leapt from view point to view point with little preamble and as such, it was sometimes difficult to keep the plot straight. Overall, I just found this one disappointing and I won't be continuing with the series.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Absolute loved it! Great worldbuilding, powerful storytelling. Feels incredibly fresh and also clearly demonstrates that the writer is a longtime fantasy fan.

Incredible! Very strongly recommended

Overall, I enjoyed this mystery of a book. Loved the alchemy side and the magical side. I felt it was very original and well thought through. But I have never read anything like this and I'm having issues getting my head around it.

The Story
The story is complex but not overwhelming. It took me some time to figure out what was actually going on. The very first chapter is narrated by the building or something and builds up a heist. It's weird and confusing. Then the following chapters they are running from the "police". There is hardly any dialogue in those chapters which adds to the confusion. But I was intrigued at the same time.


As the story progresses it becomes so much more than what the synopsis is. The synopsis indicates that there are only three characters and it's all about them. It's not. It's so much more than that. It's about the whole city. It's about the religions in the city, about the thieves in the city, about the saints in the city, about the ghouls and everything else living underground.

It takes some time to get an understanding of where the book is going. It's like following a running dog you think is loose and running away, but it turns out it's just after a ball or something. The story reveals itself slowly and I like that, I just didn't like the confusion in the beginning.

World Building

The world building was a bit steep in the beginning, though I acknowledged that the author spread the information out across the chapters probably to prevent info-dumping, and I appreciate that. I still felt a bit confused for a while and couldn't get my head around the world quickly enough.

It was an interesting place with an underground railway, magic candlemen guards, god bombs, alchemy, magic as a science and studied at university like maths. Very fascinating.

By the end, I felt I knew more about Guerdon, the city. I hope there is a map in the final print version because it sorely needs it It felt like an old place, but a soulless place. The soul of the place was with the religions and the underground creatures. Guerdon itself was just a structure but an old and worn and loved one.

I love the ending and how the town ended up being.

Magic System

The magic system was interesting in here. I don't fully understand it, but there was "no foolish wand waving " as Snape would have said. The magic was treated more in a way we treat science; it was studied and experimented with, something ever evolving and difficult to comprehend. There were several magical creatures and alchemists. Some of these creatures were the results of alchemy experiments gone wrong, or like Gullheads which are creatures created from the runoff of alchemy experiments. They form in the gutters where the bile and fumes get together. Then there were Stone Men who are affected by a contagious disease which slowly turned you into stone. There were ghouls and worm-men (looked like a man but was actually 1000's of worms held together by a spell). And there were gods. Cruel gods, blood-lusting goods and kept gods. And saints; the representative of the gods. Lastly, there were Tallowmen; humans melted down into wax guards with a wick and an inner light, like a candle.

The alchemy side was interesting. It was mixed with politics and technology, not steampunk but something more original. We don't see too much of the alchemy development side as the main characters are closer to the receiving end of them.

Most of the magic seems to originate from Gods and the book is heavy with religion (made up religion). There are godwars and several religions clashing against each other in this book. I found the different religions and the portray of the gods their power and the saints and their powers to be very fascinating. The saints don't just have the power they reach up and drag the gods to them to get more power. Very fascinating.

Characters

The book is narrated by several people including the trio of misfits; Cari, Rat and Spar. But its also narrates by Jerri the thief-hunter, and several others.

Cari is the main character. She is the one most of the story revolves around. I was worried (as I always am) when a male author has a female main character. I worry she will be stereotypical and plain and bland or something not interesting. But luckily Cari wasn't. I enjoyed Cari as the main character. She is very interesting but I can't put my finger on why. She was impulsive and rude, but also considerate and caring. She has a certain connection to a higher power and is the main focus of a lot of people in this city.

Spar is a Stone Man and suffers from slowly calcifying cells. He is the son of the previous head of the Brotherhood of Thieves and is unhappy with the current leadership. I really liked him. He is caring and kind but also brave. He is a true Gryffindor.

Rat is a ghoul from the depths of the tunnels under the city. He eats corpses and has a lack of emotional abilities. I like him and find him funny at times. He has an interesting evolution throughout the story that I would have like to get more info on and I felt it was a bit short, but you can't have everything.

I liked all the characters but I also felt I didn't connect with them. They just told me a story, I wasn't living that story with them.

LGBT?

Nope.

Writing

There were a few stuff I can't really place my finger on, but there was something that didn't always fit together or add up when it came to the sentence structure or the paragraph structure. Or maybe it is something to do with the use of words. It's more obvious in the beginning, and I'm unsure if it fades due to me being used to it or it fades from the text.

There was also some telling instead of showing usually for event or items that had been shown previously but only once then repeatedly told about later on. It almost felt like it wasn't that important anymore. I would have like things to be more shown even though they had already been shown before. I just wanted a bit more of it.

Apart from that, it was easy to read an enjoy!

Summary

I enjoyed this read. It was not like anything I've ever read before. But it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I'm not sure exactly why or which parts didn't quite do it. It must be a combination of things which made it just OK but an enjoyable OK book. I was definitely not the biggest fan of the writing, but there was nothing wrong with the writing either. I don't know...

I'm very happy Cari wasn't a stereotypical character though.

2019 no podría comenzar mejor, y es que se avecinan una serie de debuts literarios dentro de la fantasía épica de lo más interesantes. The Gutter Prayer, de Gareth Hanrahan (Orbit Books, 2019) es uno de estos libros que menciono y del que os comentaré mis impresiones en la reseña. Justo comenzaba este nuevo año con una breve reflexión: me apetecía leer más fantasía, más aventuras, más épica. 2018 ha estado marcado por la predominancia de novelas de ciencia ficción y ensayos científicos, así que me apetece volver a la capa y espada. Aunque este libro lo comencé en diciembre, lo terminé hace unas semanitas y adelante que la novela debut de Gareth Hanrahan, The Gutter Prayer, me ha gustado muchísimo.


The Gutter Prayer nos presenta un escenario, una ciudad, bueno, mejor dicho, un personaje: la ciudad. Una ciudad que está pasando por una crisis: una gran cantidad de refugiados que acuden al lugar de una guerra lejana. Además está repleta de industrias alquímicas que contaminan el agua y causan enfermedades y pobreza entre la población. La mayor parte de los productos de esas industrias son armas que se venden a ambos bandos de esa misma guerra lejana (¿os va sonando?). Además la iglesia tiene disputas y tensiones con los políticos y parlamentarios y los magnates de las industrias. Está ciudad es Guerdon, antigua, reconstruída una infinidad de veces, hogar de muchísimas razas y culturas y religiones.

Cari ha perdido la motivación de vivir, no sabe qué hacer ni a dónde ir. Una huérfana desde muy joven que siempre ha huido y correteado por las calles de Guerdon. Un día fracasa en un robo, la atrapan y la marcan de por vida. Esto parece, de algún modo, insuflarle una determinación inquebrantable, una resiliencia que le ayudará a superar ciertas adversidades y comienza a jugar su propio juego contra los enemigos que buscan acabar con ella. Spar, el amigo de Cari, tiene sus propios problemas. Un hombre que trata de vivir fuera de la sombra de su padre, y que además sufre una enfermedad que lentamente le está convirtiendo en roca. Es una hoja de doble filo, ya que la enfermedad le da una fuerza y resistencia sobrehumanas, pero al mismo tiempo le está matando, inexorable. Spar vive un tiempo prestado, limitado, breve, y lo sabe. El tercer miembro del grupo es un ghoul conocido como Rat (Rata), atrapado entre la estricta jerarquía del mundo ghoul bajo tierra y la vida en la superficie. Un personaje con una evolución tremenda e interesantísima.

Si dicho todo esto no os he convencido a leer uno de los debuts literarios del año más interesntes, atrevidos y que usa la fantasía para hablar de nuestra actualidad más reciente, dejad que os diga que, además, está escrito con un estilo muy fluido, accesible y que le da al libro un ritmo que no llega a lo frenético pero tampoco a lo pausado. Es un libro oscuro, no sabría decir si grimdark, no lo creo, aunque desde luego es fantasía oscura. El aire pesimista y oscuro que cubre todo el libro es evidente, y los personajes a menudo se ven arrojados a situaciones que les superan y que acometen sin demasiadas ganas, tan solo por el hecho de sobrevivir. No son héroes, son personas que una ciudad como Guerdon aboca a medidas desesperadas. Y por supuesto, Cari, Spar y Rata estarán en el lugar menos indicado en el momento menos indicado. El libro tiene una inventiva fenomenal, con monstruos extrañísimos, enemigos muy molones y escenas de persecución y de acción que me han dejado el corazón en un puño. Y si todo esto no os convence ¡mirad el portadón de Richard Anderson! ¿Recomiendo The Gutter Prayer? Sí, desde luego. Creo que The Gutter Prayer augura un muy buen 2019. Gareth Hanrahan ha sido un descubrimiento fantástico y espero leer las secuelas de este libro y de las aventuras de Cari, Spar y Rata. Porque sí, es una saga/trilogía, pero el libro es autoconclusivo. Un debut arrollador.

This was a book that I really wanted to like but kept waiting for it to hook me in and keep me there. I love dark and gritty fantasies, but there were times where I felt like it was needless dark and gritty. There was an almost needless harshness about each character you met. The three main characters, Cari, Rat, and Spar, where a bit flat and unlikeable. I wanted to try and find some sympathy or even some likable qualities about them, but each one just seems as boring as the next.

There seemed to be some really solid ideas with lore, gods, the alchemists, and even different beings like the Raveller and the Tallowmen, but I think there might have been too many ideas crammed into a single book.

I felt like the book dragged on, unfortunately. I really wish I hadn't found it so slow and found more enjoyment out of this book, but it just wasn't there for me.

A Poetic Fantasy.

There are many things one can like about this book. From the expressive and inventive world-building to relatable characters all of whom have their own quirks and mannerisms. There is a poetry about this book that you can just feel the more you read it. The dream sequences and the fight scenes mesh together so well that it is a trip to read through. I really liked the characters all of whom are tied into each other. Even the characters that appear for a short time in the book are well written and you end up feeling for them when something happens to them.

I loved the Tallowmen and I'd really love to see them again. Spar, Rat and Cari...a strange bunch, but friends at the end of the day. In all, I'd love to see more stories set in this world.

I really loved this original fantasy.

Right from the start I knew this was going to be something very different to my usual fantasy reads. I loved the story that slowly unfolded regarding the trapped gods and how certain factions planned to unleash them, while others worked to destroy them. Cari and her friends get caught up in the middle of it all, or so it seems!  

I liked Cari and Spar the most, though there are plenty of characters to root for. I loved how different the story was having trapped gods, saints, ghouls, stone men, worm creatures, tallowmen and other weird and wonderful creations.

This is a brilliant debut novel and I had a great time reading it. It always surprised and shocked me, and often had me thinking what on earth is going on here!

The end was a thrilling page-turner, whilst still providing an emotional and satisfying conclusion. I want to continue with the next book now, so waiting until next year is a real bummer!

What can I say about this book that hasn’t already been said? Initially I was a bit dubious because I dislike long prologues (yes I know this is weird for a fantasy fan and I realise not everyone shares my ‘if you must have a prologue it should be no longer than a page’ rule ), however all misgivings melted away as the plot got going. I love ‘unlikely companion’ stories and when, as in this case, the group of misfits gets caught in the crossfire of larger opposing forces and can only rely on each other, that makes for the best of fantasy yarns in my opinion. This was rich and complex with excellent characters and an engrossing story. Truly excellent.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

In the first three chapters I was as excited for this book as I was when I first picked up Perdido Street Station. I've already recommended this book to all my friends. More, please!

I hate to do this, but I just couldn't get into this book. I found myself lost throughout the plot, and didn't really bond with any of the characters. Because of this I dnf this book.

This is a dense, complex novel. It is sublime in its writing. It is highly original in its concepts, which leads back to why its dense and complex. It’s been described already as ‘ground-breaking’ and I have no reason to argue with this. As a debut novel it shows what an amazing talent Gareth Hanrahan is and what enormous expectations now sit on his shoulders for book 2 of this series!
A dense and complex novel. Why? Because of its world-building primarily. The city state of Guerdon is riddled with crime and corruption. Law is maintained by the corrupt Watch but also by the Alchemical Guild and their Tallowmen, once-human “candles” who hunt with impunity and almost superhuman powers. They provide the first illustration of Hanrahan’s original thinking. This world has an almost steampunk tone but it’s more like a glancing nod to it. There is a battle for control of the city going on but these forces I’ve mentioned are only part of it. Below the city are other, far weirder, creatures. There are ghouls who feed on the city’s corpses as well as a hivemind of enormous worms capable of sorcery. And, if all that isn’t enough, there are gods. Numerous pantheons of them. (And here I’ll halt any further detail so as not to generate spoilers.)
The protagonists in this story are like pinballs, bouncing from one of these forces to another as they struggle to work out identities and overcome the endless problems Hanrahan has dumped on them. Because that’s what he’s done. Each one has, metaphorically, a huge cross to bear. We follow a young man who has contracted a disease which is slowly turning into him a lump of rock, he relies on an antidote which can only ever contain the spread of the disease. It’s a pitiful struggle but compensated by his readiness to maintain that struggle and do the right thing by his friends. Spar is a good man faced with the impending doom of becoming a living statue.
Then there’s Rat. A young ghoul. He feasts on corpses. Not your conventional hero. Ghouls also have abilities that allow them to do more than humans but who, like Spar, acknowledges his own deterioration as he will become more feral as time goes by and he descends (literally) to live below the city.
Finally, there’s the main character, Cari. A young woman with drawbacks that I can’t define in any real detail because of spoilers. Suffice to say she is feisty, highly impetuous and incredibly brave.
One of the things that I loved about this novel is the humanity of its characters. As you can see from these brief descriptions, everyone has huge faults that you might expect would have turned them into bitter and angry types who wouldn’t struggle against the odds. Despite the dark, foreboding and inhuman world of this book, humanity sheds its light in the darkest places – and there are seriously dark places here.
I mention this because the role of religion is a significant factor. It has generated wars for as long as anyone can remember. The gods themselves are either weak and distant, or eager to bring about mayhem and murder. So are their disciples. Within the novel, setting up the second in the series, are references to the Godswar which is being fought beyond the boundaries of the Guerdon. However, when you look at the motives of almost everyone in this story, they are driven by religion and normal people suffer because of it. I can’t help but wonder if this concept is driven by the author’s Irish background because it could also define his island’s heritage very easily.
I’m not going to talk about the plot. I can’t. So much of it is woven into discoveries the reader makes along the way. I’ve been tempted to mention several key moments or characters but realised that doing that leads to a string of spoilers! But the weaving metaphor is appropriate because the narrative has been edited together so tightly that there isn’t a second where the pace drops and something isn’t happening to drive the story on. I find that incredible because there are so many highly original concepts getting hurled around here!
My only quibble is with the climax, which left me confused. One particular paragraph, the denouement itself, I read three times and still felt perplexed. It felt as though we were expected to accept something that hadn’t been firmly established and so felt rather contrived. That may be down to me missing something obviously. The same thing applies to Rat in the final chapter, his transformation isn’t clearly explained enough for me, and that also felt rather contrived. But these are very minor niggles.
I have to comment on the writing style. Hanrahan’s use of the present tense in his third person narrative brings urgency and intimacy. His prologue defines the city itself as a character, he picks this up in the epilogue too. It’s so fitting to do this because Guerdon IS a character, just as rich and complex as the human and non-human ones we meet. Its rich in description, highly evocative in its allegories and the images they generate. It’s a writing style to bathe in and leave feeling enriched.
As I began this review by saying, as a debut author, Gareth Hanrahan has firmly established himself as someone who has shaken up the fantasy genre. His work is exciting, highly original, beautifully written and full of humanity.

From Good Reads:
Bonkers - but in a good way.
Different, creative, imaginative, Big ideas
Characters poles apart - but bounce off each other really well.
(sometimes I had no idea what was going on)

The more I think about The Gutter Prayer, the more I realise just how much I enjoyed reading it.

Our story takes place in Guerdon, a vibrant and sprawling city with a rich history and past, one which extends many miles below the surface. The city was almost a character in and of itself, subject to the changing whims and desires of those in charge over the centuries. The writing was excellent, and truly made the city come to life.

The world Hanrahan has created is one where divinity is tangible. Away from the city, a Godswar is taking place, and we catch fleeting glimpses of this even though the vast majority of the action takes place in Guerdon. The originality and scope of the work was stunning, and reading it was like a breath of fresh air.

The plot focuses on three thieves, though we see various other points of view throughout; however, this never became confusing or hard to keep track of. Of the three – Cari, Spar, and Rat – I only really found myself connecting with Spar. I just couldn’t connect with Rat as a character, and the vivid descriptions of him eating human flesh didn’t really help and were quite off-putting, though that may just be that I don’t eat meat and would have found it disgusting no matter what species it was!

Some other characters are Jere, a 40-something thieftaker who imprisons Spar, Professor Ongent, who tries to help Cari come to terms with her powers but has an agenda of his own, his son, Miren, who honestly was just a bit of a creep, Aleena, a badass reluctant saint with a glowing sword and a serious potty mouth (I loved her), and Eladora, Cari’s uptight cousin whose character I actually really liked. She reminded me of Steris from Brandon Sanderson’s second Mistborn series, both of whom we see begin to loosen up a little and really come into themselves. I would love to read more about her, and about Aleena, too.

In the end, I gave The Gutter Prayer a well-deserved four stars. If it weren’t for the vivid descriptions of flesh eating and the fact that the pacing sometimes felt a little off it would be a full five stars for sure, and I will be certain to pick up any future books in this series!

The Gutter Prayer is out now from Orbit, so please go and check it out, especially if you’re in the mood for a superbly original fantasy tale.

I received this from the publisher via netgalley having already heard quite a lot of praise for this book. Quite an original plot line, I would place this in the dark fantasy category. It doesn’t shy away from death and bloodshed and possibly worse ways to go.
We are introduced to three characters who make up an unusual parcel of thieves who get more than they bargain for and literally bring the house down or in this case a Hall which heralds the beginning of their problems . All around their city the godswar has been raging with death and destruction and no respite. The Alchemists who may or may not have an ulterior motive think they have a solution to the problem to save the city. Obviously not going to happen when we find three characters who find themselves in the middle of all this.
Carrilon, Spar the stone man and Rat the ghoul are the unlikely thieves who become so much more than they think they are.The Black gods and the Kept gods are shackled but not gone. The Alchemists use the sinister tallowmen to their advantage but now the Ravellers are free. Secrets, betrayal and and loyalty between friends all add up to an interesting read. Thieves, Alchemists,stone men, ghouls and host of nasty crawlling creatures along with a cursing disrespectful saint all add up to a potent mix.
No big spoilers here that’s all I’m saying, you’ll have to read this for yourself. Excellent world building and character portrayal with a literally explosive finish.This is not the end. Interested to find out what happens next

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2019/01/24/the-gutter-prayer-the-black-iron-legacy-1-by-gareth-ryder-hanrahan/
The Gutter Prayer is a book that is packed with originality and heart and hits the right notes, I think, to keep both fans of epic and grimdark fantasy happy. In fact I think this manages to strike a really good balance of creative fantasy and realistic adventure. Hanrahan manages to create a world that springs to life vividly. A city made up of many components from a seedy underworld riddled with back streets and alleys, a university district and on top of that – or should I say below – a warren of tunnels that lies beneath the streets where a population of ghouls live. This is a world rife with Godswar where the city of Guerdon provides a haven, their bloodthirsty gods long since having been defeated. Trouble is brewing though and starting with a failed robbery that ends in disaster it soon becomes apparent that Guerdon is facing a terrible threat. I really enjoyed The Gutter Prayer, it’s wonderfully creative and with it’s criminal Brotherhood and Cityscape of bell towers it brought to mind a strange marriage between the Gentleman Bastards and Assassins Creed and I can happily say its a winning combination.

At the start of the story we make the acquaintance of the most unlikely trio as they attempt a robbery that goes horribly wrong – they’ve been sent to the House of Law to retrieve documents but it seems that this is a ruse for a much bigger plan and in fact the three have been deemed expendable. Unexpectedly, the three survive but not without consequences. Cari, a runaway, hiding from her family name and shame finds that something has been awakened within her following her near death experience. Spar, a young man infected with a disease that slowly turns his flesh to stone, is taken by a bounty hunter and held captive and Rat, a ghoul (more of that in a moment), is forced to run and seek safety in the underground tunnels when one of the City’s Tallowmen gives chase. The three become separated at this point and it takes some time before they find out each other’s fate or for that matter are reunited.

I hate to be just another voice in the chorus but it’s inevitable and I’m going to have to agree with the majority opinion here that the world building is just excellent. What I think is really exemplary is not just the creativity and uniqueness of Guerdon but the way that Hanrahan writes it so that it feels like part of the plot. You discover things quite naturally as the story progresses and yet in spite of this subtlety this is a place that feels fully fleshed out and immersive. I loved the place, it’s history and its inhabitants. Beneath the City are the ghouls, they live in a strange sort of harmony with the residents above ground and their Elders protect underground gates from unwanted intruders. They have an unusual system of feeding that might curl your toes a little. Then there are the Tallowmen, law enforcers created by alchemy. In a strange twist of irony these creations are rendered down criminals, recreated into a waxy type golem lit and powered by internal wicks. They’re fast and ruthless – their motto could be ‘stab first, ask questions later’. On the horror end are the Crawling Ones. These are quite literally figures made up of thousands of wriggling worms that have feasted on the dead retaining their memories in a hive style collective. They gather into human like form and use porcelain masks to complete the illusion. They’re a perfectly hideous creation that really do make your skin crawl. Finally, the Ravellers – scary monsters indeed. If you see them, run – although with their strange method of killing you might not recognise the threat until it’s too late.

You may notice that I’m being evasive. I don’t want to give away spoilers and I decided before writing this review to stay away from the plot altogether. I didn’t really know what to expect when I picked this up – I can’t lie, I loved the cover and just wanted the book – there it is in all it’s fickle honesty. It’s not a ploy that always works but on this occasion what lies beneath that beautiful artwork is equally attention stealing.

In terms of the characters. Well, I’ve outlined the main three povs above but on this occasion I think I found myself liking some of the other characters even more – although I confess a soft spot for Spar (no pun intended). We have Professor Ongent and his son who seem to be working towards their own agenda, the professor gives off that scatty, friendly old guy persona which is in complete contrast to his brooding, emo/assassin/OCD son. We have a saint called Aleena – I loved her character. I think whenever she entered a scene I almost took a welcome gulp of oxygen, like I’d been holding my breath and she felt like the saviour of the moment rushing in with her flaming sword and sarcasm, plus she just made me smile. A word of warning – Hanrahan is a little bit savage with his characters so bear that in mind before you make really strong attachments.

I was very impressed with the writing and the imagery created in the mind’s eye whilst reading. There’s a simplicity to the style but at the same time a sleight of hand that makes the scene setting remarkably clear.

In terms of criticisms. Well, nothing major to report. I would say that this took me a while to complete and I’m not altogether sure why. I think the world here is a bit crazy but the uniqueness it brings to the plate does require concentration – you really can’t just power through this one, in my opinion anyhow, it needs to be read and savoured in order to fully understand things. The plot felt a little bit convoluted at first, although on reflection I’m not sure that first impression really stands, and in fact I found myself taking maybe a quarter of the book to be fully on board – but, believe me when I say it’s worth the time spent. Again, the conclusion – I had to go back and read it again and I don’t think a third reading could hurt any. Maybe a bit rushed in what actually took place but I loved the twist that the ending revealed and it makes me hanker after the next book all the more.

Overall this is an incredibly impressive debut and one that makes me excited to think of what’s yet to come. Do yourself a favour and read the Gutter Prayer. That is all. Go. Read. Enjoy. Simples.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The premise for this one sounded really intriguing but unfortunately I couldn’t get on with The Gutter Prayer at all. I wanted to love it, because it’s got so much going for it, but I just couldn’t follow it. Great writing, loved the idea but it just didn’t suit me!