While reading this I was frequently in awe at Gareth Hanrahan's ability to set up a world so rich and complex in politics and world building. The city of Guerdon became such an integral part of the plot, a distinct character in The Gutter Prayer, that I wondered how the story could continue beyond its destruction. This wasn't an easy read, and is one I'll admit I put off reading for a long time because I knew I would have to devote all of my undivided attention to the complicated plot, but the pay off was well worth it. It's the dedication to the slow building plot that I applaud the most. Hanrahan isnt afraid to play the long game in this trilogy, setting up scenes and events that span subsequent books to come to fruition and it's just really well done.

I was hoping this would be an improvement on The Gutter Prayer.

Unfortunately if anything this was worse.

It was disjointed and would have been far better if the author had just concentrated on a couple of characters, rather than the scatter gun approach which seemed to occur.

This was not for me.

Gareth Hanrahan's "The Shadow Saint" carries forward the richly crafted world-building and unique magic system established in "The Gutter Prayer". It introduces new characters alongside familiar ones, each with their own set of complexities. The narrative is intricately plotted, but can at times feel overcomplicated, potentially hindering the pacing for some readers. Hanrahan’s vivid and expansive description of the cityscape is commendable, yet could be daunting for those preferring more direct storytelling. While "The Shadow Saint" presents a stimulating dive into the world of Guerdon, it requires a particular taste for dense, atmospheric fantasy.

Unfortunately I left it too long between reading book 1 and 2 so struggled to get into this one and also couldn't re-read the first book as it just didn't hold my attention.

I may try reading this series again in the future and I will update my review if I do

Received ARc fom Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for honest read and review.
I had high hopes for this one after being slightly disappointed with first one, but I could not get intentions one at all.
Others have raved about this one,but I could not even finish it.

This was a fantastic read, highly recommended for all readers of fantasy. Unique original ideas, full of great characters and world building. One of best series of the 21st century

I didn't love this as much as the first book, however there was still plenty to enjoy and admire, and Hanrahan's worldbuilding and mythology remains unparalleled!

Content warning: violence, injury, death cult

Looking back at my review for The Gutter Prayer, one of my main comments was that I had no idea what was going on, but that the action and the clever world-building kept me super keen. I was expecting something similar from the sequel, The Shadow Saint, but I was surprised to find that this is a much more slowly-paced read, and it didn't work quite as well for me.

I think part of this was that I was surprised to be thrown in to the book to find three entirely new central characters - the only one we have met before is Eladora, who I liked in the first book, but was definitely a side character. I felt a little adrift, to be honest. I remember the beginning of The Gutter Prayer being quite hard work, as there was such a mass of world-building to get across before the plot started happening, but I figured that after the intensity of that book, The Shadow Saint might have a lot of its work done for it already. But no - the city is still in chaos after the events at the end of book one (the Crisis), and removing our few fixed points made it very hard to get to grips with that chaos. It took me a long time to connect with the new characters or work out what they were doing.

Where the book really sang for me was in the scenes where Cari, Spar and Rat were present. I think that having them as a common thread through the first book kept the plot threads stronger, and I would have liked to see more of their lives post-Crisis here. However, there are plenty of new aspects to the world introduced, from death cults to dragons, and there are twists and weird happenings aplenty. I think the difficulty here came from me expecting a similar measure of action and plot to the first book, whereas this is something entirely different. The city (and the world) is a mess, and the plot is correspondingly messy. It's still intense, and full of imagination, but it is hard work, because it's not doing what you might expect. It's a showcase of a very broken world, not an adventure.

I may sound negative here, but I don't mean to be! As I think I ended up concluding about the first book - it can be a struggle to connect to at times, but you're left feeling like you've read something incredibly genius. Four stars.

This series is so freaking good. It has fantastic world building, interesting magical features and a cast of characters that you cannot not but fall for.

It took me a moment to adjust to the fact that the characters from book 1 might not show in book two. Once I'd wrapped my head around this, I got onto such an amazing adventure with a different main cast, but oh boy, this story is so good and keeps evolving and getting deeper and broader and more interesting.

We are again in Guerdon, this city that is a character in its own right. It is one of the most interesting city fantasies I have come across so far. Guerdon is weirdly set up and even more so after the events of book one. There is politics and the alchemists and various religious groups. And we have individuals like Eladora Duttin and Effro Kelkin and Terevant from Haith and Sanhada Baradin and Emlin from different parts of this world.

Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan weaves an amazing weave with these characters be they young or old and brings them together in the story that plays out the individual with each other as well as the forces that are out of their control, fate, destiny, or whatever you may assume is out there and bigger than your own individual existence. As the Godswar comes nearer and nearer to Guerdon, the one thing, the city so far managed to keep at bay, it might just be that each action counts and can tip the balance one way or another.

We also eventually catch up with the main characters of the first book. They have grown, changed, as they should have.

This book was a magical, fantastic, fabulous ride and so very well done. For me, it was utterly enjoyable, but please, mind the goriness that comes with ghouls involved and other strange creatures be they of human or divine or other nature.

And now I am ready for book three. I want to know how the story continues. As this is not the end. There is yet more to come. Let there be Guerdon and magic and more adventures to be.

I received the book as an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

*Book received from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review*

I wanted to love this book. I would have been happy liking it. In reality, I tolerated it.

The sequel to The Gutter Prayer takes us on a different journey, with initially very little familiar ground and people. Over time the story reflects more of the world that was covered in the first book, but it is quite a strange and unnerving start to a sequel.

The narrative follows two new characters, one a spy for a foreign country with numerous personalities at his fingertips, the other a minor noble from another country. Both find themselves in Guerdon, the scene of the first book, the city that has been mostly sheltered from the atrocities of the Godwar. Here we also are reunited with Eladora, the young historian with a hint of magic abilities.

This sees a number of new countries, Gods, races and magic introduced that were not in the first book. While one always expects something new, some of these were fairly major and important aspects of the world and should have been in the first book. For me it just came across as a late decision to write a second book and reluctantly start changing and expanding the world.

The plot is a little flimsy if I'm honest, it is just some people doing some things and then deciding to do other things, with seemingly little logic to it, or overall plot. It was quite a struggle to remember who was doing what and why when switching between PoVs in new chapters. This isn't helped by the number of new characters introduced being largely interchangeable, especially during the minor noble's story (there was one fairly important plot point late in the book where someone he had met turns out to be someone important - I couldn't remember him at all!).

The writing style is a little elaborate for my tastes and made it hard to focus on what was actually happening - there were times an event had been referred to but I hadn't even noticed it because I wasn't able to concentrate. The book is very heavy on narrative with very little dialogue, making it harder to follow the action among the flowery phrasing.

A book of this length should have taken me a little over a week to read, but this took me almost 4 weeks. Admittedly part of this was due to events in the world and at work, but also my motivation to read it was eroded and I struggled through about 5% a day.

Alright. It’s decided. I will buy any novel that Gareth Hanrahan ever writes.

Listen, I loved The Gutter Prayer. Loved it. Didn’t shut up about it for months. It was exciting, it was unique, and it was… well, it was completely fucking mental. In the best possible way.

Y’know when you read a book that totally matches your tastes? When you love the bones of it? When you can’t stop yelling at everyone you know to read it, whilst secretly being terrified that they might not love it as much as you do?

Yup. That was me with The Gutter Prayer.

So as is the way of these things, I was a little bit nervous to pick up The Shadow Saint. What if I didn’t like it as much as the first? What if it didn’t quite match my tastes as perfectly?

I loved it. I shouldn’t have worried. But I feel like it’s important to recognise that it’s quite a different book from the first.

A lot of that comes down to the POV characters. Hanrahan’s narration is pretty “close” to the characters, so a lot of the atmosphere and feel of the story is influenced by their personality. In The Gutter Prayer, this means we have a bit more of a youthful, impulsive journey. (In fairness, it would be impossible to have anything else with Cari as a main character.) The Shadow Saint, however, is a bit more thoughtful.

We have three new POV characters this time round, one of these being a side-character in the previous book — Eladora, Cari’s cousin, who had studied under Professor Ongent. There is also Terevant, a nobleman and army veteran from the necromantic lands of Old Haith. Then there is the Spy. A man with many names, many personalities, and many mysterious motivations.

That last one? He was really interesting. I have a thing for characters that can adopt one of multiple personas at a moments notice, and his arc in this book is incredible.

Admittedly though, wholesale changes to POV casts like this are always a little hit-and-miss with me. I get attached to the characters I read about, and I was very attached to the characters from The Gutter Prayer. As a result, it took me a little while to warm to the new cast. When I got past that self-imposed hurdle, though, I had a hell of a time. My enjoyment only increased as more of the older characters started to pop up as the book went on.

Like I’ve said, the new cast of characters is a lot more thoughtful. They’re more suited to the plot of this book, which centers around a political election in the aftermath of the events which have become known as the Crisis. The resultant political machinations therefore require a more careful, considering touch. Especially since the Godswar, which has until now never breached the walls of Guerdon, is approaching.

It might feel like it takes a while for the action to kick off, which some less patient readers might be wary of, but for me the anticipation made the eventual action all the sweeter. It was like lighting the fuse on a cascade of dynamite. There’s a little bit of a wait, full of tension… and then there are a bunch of explosions, the sky is on fire, and you’re wearing someone else’s body parts as a hat.

I’ve no idea how many books are planned in this series, but I want it to go on forever. If you like the sound of a crazy epic fantasy series with a bunch of psychopathic and narcissistic gods, a whole slew of original ideas, and a city which seems allergic to peace and quiet… The Black Iron Legacy series might be for you.

The Shadow Saint is a brilliant book, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Series: The Black Iron Legacy # 2
Published by: Orbit
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Grimdark, High Fantasy
Pages: 567
Format: e-book
Review Copy Courtesy of NetGalley

If you haven’t read The Gutter Prayer and don’t know if you want to, read my review of it here.

The Gutter Prayer was an exceptional debut – no matter how hard I thought about the story, I couldn’t find anything wrong with it! In The Shadow Saint, Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan opens up Guerdon to all-new existential threats, which our cast of new and returning heroes are sorely lacking in preparation for; while some characters were dearly missed, their absence keenly felt at one time or another, the cast swells with memorable new names.

I spoke last time of how Guerdon was akin to a living being, a city of immense character equalled by Dickens’ London in Bleak House, for example; what I had not foreseen back when I first drew the comparison was that one of the major characters of the first novel would literally transform into a large part of the city. Following the Gutter Miracle which took place during the culmination of the first novel, Guerdon has undergone a transformation; the so-called New City is a triumph of one man’s will, an organism made of stone with a benevolent will of its own. But some things remain the same:

"Feverish, pugnacious, the city is alive in a way she hasn’t seen since before the Crisis. She can almost forget that, less than a year ago, this square was besieged by monsters. When the gutters ran with blood, and the sky filled with vengeful gods."

Time and again, Hanrahan shows mastery over character voice. Eladora’s introspections are an academic’s curiosity through and through (I would know); the spy, meanwhile, thinks exactly as a spy would, studying every angle, observing every situation, looking always for an edge to gain on everyone else for his own purposes. His masks take on a life of their own, personas he puts on and then discards. Some stick, however, and this allows us to touch upon a topic of great interest to me – just when does pretense turn to reality? The spy’s point of view is masterful – not since Sins of Empire have I come across such a compelling shadow operative. And this one, with all due respect to Brian, would run circles around Michel.

The Haithian, Terevant’s, way of viewing the world is that of a poet in a soldier’s uniform. I adored the story of this failed officer, a failed younger scion of the powerful Everesic family, as he sought to redeem himself in the eyes of kin and country, only to realize…but no, that would spoil something, wouldn’t it? “He dislikes feeling hollow. He wants to be on his way already, to fill himself with purpose.” Terevant has a lot going for him, and his storyline is satisfying from beginning to end.

I took great pleasure in Eladora’s stolen moments of thaumaturgical studies, the magic system Hanrahan employs is interesting and costly to the caster:

"She clenches her first, slowly, imagining the spell paralyzing a target, holding them in unseen chains of sorcery- but then she loses control, the magic slipping through her fingers. For a moment, her hand feels like she’s thrust it into an open fire, the unseen chains suddenly turned to molten metal, her skin blistering. A spell gone awry can discharge unpredictably – if she swallows the power she’s drawn down, she can ground it inside her body, risking internal damage. If she lets it go, she might ignite something, and this cramped backroom in the IndLib’s parliamentary office is crammed with papers and books."

But a little magic is far from the most interesting skill Eladora acquires. Her evolution through The Shadow Saint marks the best character arc Hanrahan has written yet and I look forward to seeing how it’ll resolve in the third book of the series. There’s a lot of her former teacher Ongent in Eladora – as much, perhaps, as the effects of the Thay blood she was so uncomfortable with, in The Gutter Prayer.

The spy – his endgame is such a good fucking mystery. I’m proud of calling his true identity about mid-way through. Still there was plenty to surprise me, and I wish, I really wish I could gush about how cool all of it is – but I dare not.

What I missed, more than anything else, was the active part the Alchemists’ guild previously took in the political and social life of Guerdon. The horrid Tallowmen are gone, and so are the other vat-grown monstrosities that so chilled and thrilled me and many others. A little something was teased out towards the end of the novel, to do with a certain alchemist who appeared previously – which gives me hope that this most devious of players on Guerdon’s political board will make her return before all is said and done.

The Keeper Church, meanwhile, features prominently throughout. I, like Eladora, missed Aleena, the fuming, cursing, flame-wielding saint of the Church; the Keeper Gods have kept busy after her fall, and have made themselves a fair amount of crazy idiot saints. Fanatics, plenty of fanatics – and you’ll love to hate them, just as I did.

I appreciated what Hanrahan showed us of the world outside the city of Guerdon – the necromantic empire of Haith, a place in which the dead have long since outnumbered the living, once the greatest power in the world - now in retreat before an enemy that defies even their countless undead hordes; glimpses of Ishmere, with their mad gods, thirsty for ever greater expansion. Oh, and a cartel ran by dragons is a thing. Wicked, I know.

Supporting character, whether new or returning ones, left an impression. Politician and reformist Effro Kelkin makes a return after his miraculous survival, attempting to finagle his way back to power. I love the man, and this description encapsulates everything great about his character: “He manages to be simultaneously the wily old trickster who knows how to pull every lever and work every cheat in the system, and the firebrand who’s going to burn it all down and build something better…A better tomorrow, if only you’ll believe in him – and yourself. No guilds, no gods – just honest hard work, charity and integrity.” Great character, possibly born in the wrong world. Other supporting characters I cheered for include the Haithian war hero Olthic, brother to Terevant, who works to make an ally of Guerdon, no matter the results of the oncoming election; a career politician who switches affiliations faster than I switch hairstyles; Ramegos, a brilliant thaumaturgist whose knowledge is indispensable to the IndLibs and Eladora alike; and Emlyn, a child-saint whose story is intricately linked to that of the spy.

I continue to fall in love with this world and characters, the more I think about them. As I revisit the hundred passages I’ve highlighted for one reason or another, I am awed by the mastery Hanrahan shows – in quality of his prose, in the mastery of voice, in the deep worldbuilding he’s woven into this story of saints and mad gods. This is my book of January 2020, no doubt about it. My score for The Shadow Saint is 5/5 stars. The Black Iron Legacy series is worth every hour you’ll put into it, every minute. Every fucking second.

Hanrahan takes a new approach in this follow-up to The Gutter Prayer, which was one of my favorite reads from 2019. While The Gutter Prayer had a nice mix of world-building, action, and character development, The Shadow Saint changed focus and spent about half the book on politics. Guerdon's leadership is in ruins after suffering so much damage from The Crisis about ten months before when The Shadow Saint picks up. Eladora, a supporting character from tGP, is thrust into the spotlight this time around, as her intelligence and family's (and personal) involvement in the Crisis has given her a unique perspective on Guerdon's history and how to best recover.

The city struggles to stay neutral during the War of the Gods, which is raging in all the surrounding nations. Gods of War are leading nations to rise and conquer above others, and Guerdon's defenses and historic neutrality may no longer be able to withstand the horrors and side effects of what a God War would have when brought to the doorstep of their remote nation.

We are introduced to two new POVs: Terevant, the younger brother to an important mililtary and political leader, but pales in comparison and track record to his esteemed and famous sibling; and my personal favorite, The Spy, who wears personalities like clothes, and is able to change them just as easily. Terevant is called in to Guerdon to investigate the murder of an ambassador, while The Spy brings his ward, a young boy who is mentally linked to the Spider God, into the city for unknown purposes. The Spy is incredibly resourceful, and his agenda and purpose remains mysterious, but I will say that the end of the story has some huge implications for what the trilogy's conclusion may bring.

But fans of Cari, Rat, and Spar need not worry -- all appear, in some form or another, and of varying degrees, in The Shadow Saint. The implications of Spar's fate at the end of The Gutter Prayer was one of the most interesting things I was looking forward to exploring in this sequel, and it did not disappoint. And once Eladora, Terevant, and The Spy's paths start to converge around the halfway mark of the book, it almost feels like it becomes a completely different story. There is breathless action, incredibly creative set pieces, and, a *massive* ending that spans 150+ pages that you'll want to put aside a full evening to read so you won't have to put it down.

The Shadow Saint at times felt like a political thriller, a noirish murder mystery, a James Bond/Mission Impossible mashup, and a dash of Clash of the Titans. It's a weird combination of things, but it works. Really, really well. Hanrahan reminds me of Robert Jackson Bennett in terms of deep and rich world-building with a lot of thought put into how the supernatural affects various aspects of society. It's a ripping read, and recommended.

I'm taking my time in reading this book because it's complex and so enjoyable that I'm savouring the words, the great plot and the amazing world building.
Gutter Prayer was in my top 5 fantasy books of 2019 and The Shadow Saint is even better.
Complex, gripping and an excellent read.
A more detailed review will follow.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

It's an impressive sequel. Odd saints and strange magical creatures find refuge in Guerdon. The war between deities escalates and if you thought that The Gutter Prayer was surreal, prepare to experience your brain melting.
It's a series unlike any other on the market and I highly encourage you to join the party.

Once again we find ourselves in the city of Guerdon. After the god bomb and the following crisis we might ask ourselves what happened to our band of strange comrades? Fear not we are about to find out in this sequel to The Gutter Saint. The Stoneman has now evolved into a new city within the old. Rat has become more formidable as a great ghoul. Silk purse is still Silkpurse and Carillon seems to have disappeared. The tallowmen are no more and the Kept God’s servants are reappearing and one of them is Eladora’s mother much to her consternation. After the experience of everything that had occurred previously all Eladora wants is to return to the University and bury herself in her beloved books. Unfortunately for her I don’t think that is going to happen she has been touched by the gods and they won’t let her go.
The Godswar is about to arrive on the city of Guerdon’s doorstep and the Haithi are already there. Eladora finally reunites with Eladora but keeps it to herself as too many people want her gone. Having seen what has happened before Eladora is trying to find a way for the city to survive the apocalypse on the horizon. The narrative continues at a rapid pace and as we are carried along we are introduced to new characters which add to the plot and the level of madness of the somewhat deranged and vengeful gods.Second books can be a bit middling,excuse the pun,but not this. Excellent world building skills describing a strange city and the world beyond. Interesting and diverse character and monster portrayal. I am looking forward to more of the continuing saga of those battling against these tainted gods and saints.

This is the second instalment in The Black Iron Legacy series, which is fast becoming one of my favourites!

Guerdon was destroyed at the end of The Gutter Prayer and a partially new city placed directly atop of the old. The two are at war for dominance but the gods are circling ever closer and put the petty whims of mortals beneath them in their quest for power. Spies are sent to learn the secrets of those wishing to govern this divided city, but they become increasingly embroiled in more than mere political schemes as they infiltrate the inner-circle of the elite and the hearts of those around them.

I'm actually in awe of how convoluted the religious and political systems were in this book! Book one focused primarily on the abundance of religions that humans devoted their lives to. The dead were fed to them, lives given to their honour, temples constructed in devotion, and daily prayers made. The Gods returned these favours by imbuing their powers into select mortals, breaking their minds and bodies apart as they forced their way into the lesser beings. Wars were fought in their name and future ones forever impending.

This threat is carried over into book two. It still heavily features these religious aspects but as the reader becomes more aware of them and the world surrounding it, political schemings begin to take central focus. I found it a fascinating insight to campaigning and the vying of the power-hungry, complex and ever altering.

Beloved characters returned from the first book and took their place even more firmly in my heart. New characters were introduced and as their paths intermingled and the story-line forever upped the ante, this book set itself up for an action-packed and thrilling third series instalment I am impatient to get my hands upon!

"The spy climbs a stair of fire to get to Heaven..."

This is the sequel to Hanrahan's first novel, The Gutter Prayer, which introduced us to the city of Guerdon, its Machiavellian leader, Kelkin, the Godswar which rages abroad (but it's getting closer!) and most particularly to Carillon (Cari) Thay and Eladora Duttin, cousins whose fates are bound up with the city, the imprisoned Black Iron Gods and with the Godswar.

The focus of that book was very much on Cari, a young woman who had run away to sea but was now returned and first seen leading a gang to carry out a daring robbery. Cari, Rat and Spar (who was suffering from a disease that gradually turned him to stone) were caught between political and religious factions, as well as family politics and history, in events that eventually led to a crisis in the affairs of Guerdon and to Rat (having become king of the city's ghouls) trying to kill Cari.

The Shadow Saint picks up the story shortly after, with more focus on the Godswar. We see the city of Severast, recently fallen to the conquering forces of the Mad Gods (the fires of sacrifice still smoulder) We see the grim, necromantic kingdom of Haith, which is fighting a rearguard action against the conquerors. Haith's politics will play a central role in this story, which focusses on Eladora, rather than Cari: sensible, dutiful Eladora, who has gone from her studies at the University to working for Effro Kelkin, leader of the Industrial Liberal party and the wily fox at the centre of Guerdon's government. (She's also learning magic, under the tutelage of the formidable Dr Ramegos).

While the forces of the deranged gods advance, Guerdon is bickering over politics and religion, leading to an election, and schemes are afoot in the Haithi embassy, focussing on that nation's crown and on family succession. Oh and there is, as the quote above implies, a spy in Guerdon (actually, there are many, but this one is particularly crucial).

It all makes for a complex, atmospheric (you can almost taste the alchemical pollution that drifts on Guerdon's air...) and tactile book, the reader occupying something of a privileged position in being privy to most - but not all - of the writhing plots, which enfold and stymie one another continually (sometimes to darkly humorous effect - Guerdon's gods are widely regarded as stupid, and at one moment they carry out an act that is so misconceived and self defeating as to be near impossible to convey: fortunately I don't have to try as it would also be a huge spoiler). It's a bit Smiley meets HP Lovecraft meets Pratchett, the latter especially in the way that stupidity, bad luck and sheer obduracy ensure those best-laid plans - whether Kelkin's, devised at his back table in the coffee house, or Lys's, intelligence chief of Haith - really do gang aft agley.

Guerdon and its world are, as ever, brilliantly realised - this is a fantasy city with a Metro system, representative democracy (oiled by generous campaign contributions) and a manufacturing sector (Guerdon thrives on its arms trade, supply both sides in the war). A city where the Gods are kept weak, lest they join the war. A world of modern naval fleets with unspeakable, alchemical weapons and undead warriors wielding ancestral, soul-hungry swords. It's hard, as I said above, to convey just how right it all seems, how natural. The characters are also excellent - Cari, who has become something like a saint (though her god is the New City, not a divine being) has taken up the foul-mouthed mantle of Saint Aleena, my favourite character from The Gutter Prayer: 'The fucking fuckers are trying to fuck with us' as she sagely observes more than once. (Note to self: redact that before submitting review to Amazon...)

In all, it's joyous mayhem with a coherent, metaphysically literate, idea of godhood and the supernatural at its centre, characters who are, even if monstrous and constrained by unspeakable fates, sympathetic - and throughout, a sense of unease, a sense that dreadful things can happen at any moment...

Mira que me gustó The Gutter Prayer, pero creo que con The Shadow Saint Hanrahan se ha superado a sí mismo.

La historia continúa unos meses después de cuando acabó la anterior, pero el foco cambia de personajes. Seguiremos viendo a Cari, Spar y a Rat, o aquello en lo que se han convertido, pero pasan a ser secundarios mientras que Eladora y otros dos nuevos personajes cobran un protagonismo importante.
Lo primero que llama la atención es el maravilloso tratamiento de un espía que es capaz de compartimentar los papeles que desempeña algo que podría parecer un trastorno de personalidad múltiple, como en Legión. Pero es mucho más que eso. Es la capacidad de representar un papel u otro a voluntad, como ese momento en que Christopher Reeve cambia de Clark Kent a Superman. Algo imprescindible para ser espía y me apasiona como Hanrahan lo ha plasmado. Y esto es solo un ejemplo de la complejidad de los personajes que vemos a lo largo de The Shadow Saint.
También es digno de encomio el trabajo de creación del mundo del autor. En la primera entrega conocíamos a fondo Guerdon y aunque en esta segunda novela la mayoría de la acción también se desarrolla en el mismo escenario, con una pocas descripciones y pinceladas nos hace ver un mundo mucho más vasto del que conocíamos. Podemos ver cómo en el imperio Haith la muerte no es una barrera, ya que la mayoría de sus habitantes volverán a levantarse tras morir para seguir sirviendo a una Corona que posee todas las almas de los ancestros que ocuparon antes el trono. ¿Os imagináis el conocimiento que puede haber acumulado en todas esas vidas? O tal vez sea una fuente de problemas, toda vez que la sangre nueva no acaba de llegar a unas estructuras anquilosadas desde hace siglos. Y esta es solo una de las fuerzas en liza en la guerra de los Dioses. No sé si es debido a su pasado (y presente) como escritor de módulos de rol, pero se nota que el escenario en el que suceden los acontecimientos es complejo y se sostiene por sí mismo, no es solo un andamiaje para ocultar lo que hay entre bambalinas.
Es un libro bastante largo y complejo y es cierto que en algunos momentos el ritmo se pierde, sobre todo cuando hay que dar paso a las intrigas políticas que sustentarán los pactos en los que se basa el gobierno de la ciudad de Guerdon.
Me gusta también la interpretación de los dioses como constructos de creencia sin inteligencia de por sí, empeñados en seguir actuando de la misma forma que durante siglos sin tener en cuenta que los caminos de sus seguidores pueden haber variado. Cada dios recibe su poder de sus seguidores, así que son los que más fervorosos sean los que pueden inclinar la balanza. Este poder está muy bien representado en la constante creación de santos que obran milagros, pero también está representado el pago que hay que realizar cuando vemos la evolución de la madre de Eleadora o el estado en que se encuentran los tocados por los dioses que acuden al centro de rehabilitación. Y claro, la evolución y sofisticación de la tecnología también impacta contra este arcaico modelo.
Un libro brillante, del que además se ha sabido hace poco que se publicará en español.
Me gustaría agradecer a Gareth Hanrahan el útil resumen de The Gutter Prayer que colgó en su web, que ha facilitado mucho la lectura de este segundo volumen, porque había detalles y personajes que había olvidado pero que así son más fáciles de seguir.

So. The Shadow Saint. It’s good. Like, really, really good. It’s the sequel to Gareth Hanrahan’s The Gutter Prayer, which I also thought was, er, really, really good. Before digging into it a little more, I may be able to save you some time by saying that if you read and enjoyed The Gutter Prayer, you’ll be wanting to pick up the sequel. You won’t be disappointed.
There’s a lot going on this time, as the text examines big issues – religion, politics, identity – through a personal and fantastic lens. It does this with some top-notch characterisation, and by extending the vividly detailed worldbuilding of the previous instalment.

There are three central characters to the story: Eladora, Terevant, and The Spy. Eladora was a member of the supporting cast in the previous book, and it’s great to see her get room to grow here. She’s clever, razor-sharp, a little ambitious, and trying to do the right thing. A the story begins, she’s finding a vocation as a political operative, trying to shape the direction of the city of Guerdon, recently reshaped by magical fiat. There’s a fair amount of politics in this story, centred around an upcoming election. Eladora is the pivot, a woman trying to speak to and for the dispossessed, the disenfranchised, and those otherwise unable to have a voice of their own. Eladora is fierce. Flawed, yes. Mistaken, from time to time. But driven to succeed, and putting the best interests of people and city before her own personal needs. I might not describe her as a woman of action, but a compelling, convincing heroine nonetheless.

While Eladora is out causing trouble in the city, we also spend some time with Terevant. He’s the scion of a noble family, from a country where the dead have a tendency to hang around after their demise and offer advice and post-generational disappointment in equal measure. More of the latter for Terevant, if I’m honest. The juniour scion of a great family, and survivor of a supernatural war, he’s not really up to much when the story begins. That said, he is both a pitch-perfect portrayal of a younger son, and a great point of view into both Guerdon (as an outsider) and into a contracting empire where the dead-but-walking-around outnumber the living. I won’t dig into his role too much, or fear of spoilers – but Terevant is keenly observed and compellingly written. I’d say his narrative strand is melancholy, investigative and intriguing – as he starts digging around in the dark corners of Guerdon society, neither he or we know what he’ll find. Though it might be explosive once dug up.

And then there’s The Spy. Too much spoiler potential here. But The Spy puts on faces like the rest of us wear shoes. They switch personalities, they drift in and out of view. They’re never quite who you expect. And each time The Spy is someone knew, their writing changes; they become, to us as well as themselves, the person they portray. I found the multiple perspectives with an underlying agenda to be a frightfully clever piece of writing, and was gripped by the dilemma’s and struggles of The Spy’s various personae, even while trying to work out what it was they were up to.

All three are strutting their stuff against the backdrop of Guerdon, the city rebuilt at the close of The Gutter Prayer. This is a new world. But it’s as multi-faceted and lovingly described as it was before. Each twisted alleyway. Each marble tower populated by squatters. Each ship of refugees crossing the thrashing waters to enter a neutral port in a world wracked by conflict. They all feel real. This is a world which lives and breathes, and invites you to inhabit it. Of course, there is a war on. And that is as lovingly, horrifyingly, lavishly described as the city which serves as a shelter from it. This is a war of mad gods, an epic struggle that seems likely to end only in annihilation, where worshippers are less than chaff between the toes of the gods, and the gods are less divine than they are broken, screaming monstrosities. The war will stop your heart, and Guerdon, an oasis of sanity in a world obviously insane, will take you into its own.

The story I won’t get into, for fear of spoilers. That said, it’s good stuff. There are crosses, double crosses, betrayals and unmaskings aplenty. There’s some truly epic magic, if that’s your thing – warring divinities don’t tend to play nice, and definitely get messy. In amongst this chaos there are beautiful moments of personal tenderness, hardship, heartbreak, friendship, and hope. There are people. There are emotional stakes which will wrench at your heart, and Big Damn Explosions which will threaten to displace that same heart into another country via your ribcage. There’s wry humour and a dash of romance. What there is most though, is a sense that all of these things matter, to the world and to the people we see within it. This is a story which will get its hooks into you. This is a story which won’t let go. This is a story you’ll find yourself staying up until 4am to finish. This is a story you’ll want to read.

So why wait? Go on, get reading.