An epic beginning to what looks to be an incredible fantasy saga.

A group of Raiders, a savage folk known for their stealing and murder, land in an undefended town. But these profess only the desire to settle, having fled their homeland which now lies under the grip of a demon.

Mwanwhile, a princess turned assassin travels to a distant land to kill her kings rivals, and a young thief struggling to survive meets a charismatic young man from a world unlike her own.

A fantastic series of interwoven tales, all set in a fantastically crafted world.

(Review to be published on 17/02/2021 to https://www.instagram.com/lauren.reads.books/)

"Though the Divine One hast scourged this land of demons from mountain to sea, the foul creatures may seek to return, and must be met with shining blade."

THE BLACK COAST: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Phenomenal world building; contextual religious lore creation; and *dragons*. I feel I've found myself part of a fantastic journey that I already know is going to be one of my all-time favourites.

Following a multi voiced story arc, the reader is presented with clusters of characters that inhabit Brooks' world. From royalty in Idramar, to the coastal town of Black Keep that inhabits lords, lowborns and the new additions of the warrior raider Tjakorsha, there is great diversity in characters and journey.

The majority of the tale is dominated by the Black Keep arc with Daimon and Saana. Fleeing the threat of the draug known as The Golden One, the Tjakorsha are led by their chief, Saana, to Black Keep in parley. While leader Lord Asrel would rather fight than lose his honour in sharing land with raiders, adopted son Daimon defies convention to let the clan live on their shores. Balancing two distinctly opposing sides, the tale tells of the two weeks from the Tjakorsha landing and adjusting to their arrival. So a battle to the death in a honour duel; ratting out Daimon to the reigning powers; and have a wedding seems about right. Tensions are constantly high and the chapter cliff hangers are beautifully cruel. Each beat of the story was incredibly enjoyable and I was quickly besotted by the characters.

While the God-King and the Splinter Prince arc sit more in the background during this story, it's placement provides contextual information and set up for the novels to follow. I'm really looking forward to accompanying Jenya and Tila more as the brief glimpses from their perspectives captured my interest despite the use of them, plot wise, being obvious.

Chunky books can often seem off-putting but Brooks' latest read is not to be missed. I'm keenly anticipating the next instalment as the stakes can only get higher and the battles more intense. Now I simply have to hope my favourite characters will make it though this perilous world...

THE BLACK COAST is the first book in The God-King Chronicles and is high fantasy with warring clans and dragons who cannot fly. Told from multiple points of view and locations, you see the story unfold before you.

I had high hopes for this story, but I'm afraid I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. The world-building and scene-setting were clear and concise, making it easy to see the places mentioned. I could have gotten to grips with the third-person speak when someone was speaking about themselves if it was consistent. In one paragraph, you go from the formal third-person to an informal first-person, and back again. I found to be jarring as I read through. Also, although the two main characters have their say, I found the others to be distracting. Although I enjoy a well-rounded story, this seemed almost too much.

I think this story is going to be a marmite book for fantasy fans. You will either love it or not. I'm afraid I don't so I won't be continuing the series, although I appreciate the research and effort gone into the making of this book.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

4.5 ⭐️

The Black Coast is a refreshing fantasy with the concept of two cultures attempting to work together and maintain peace. However, there are plenty of threats, betrayals, plotting and battles to keep you entertained, as well as the complex array of characters.

The main POVs are:
Tila: sister to the Naridan God-King with a secret persona
Saana: a Tjakorshan chief of the Brown Eagle Clan
Daimon: adopted son of the lord of Blackcreek, a Naridan village
Rikkut: a fearsome Tjakorsha warrior
Jeya: a thief living in Alaban

It was hard adjusting to the switch in POVs at points, especially when not with Saana and Daimon, who have the biggest POVs. However, I was genuinely invested in or at least intrigued by every character, and it was interesting to see how everyone was connected to each other. Most of all though, I loved the interactions, particularly between the Tjakorshans and Naridans in Blackcreek. Their cultural differences were explored through language, beliefs and customs, and both sides grew to accept but also challenge certain notions like gender roles and sexuality. The gender system was unique, and there are also lots of queer side characters and relationships, although I wish there was a queer main character too.

It was a great start to the series and I can't wait to read more!

content warnings: violence, gore, death, misogyny, homophobia

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Co. UK / Orbit for providing me with the e-arc of The Black Coast in exchange for my totally honest and unbiased review. If you are a looking for an epic fantasy that delivers world-building, prioritising the genders, cultures, identities, languages and POVs then this is a great book to head for.
This book delivers the first chapter in the God-King Chronicles series, a story of two very distinct cultures (Black Keep and the Tjakorsha,) doing their utmost to work together and co-operate in a world fraught with danger. There is no shying away from past history of either people, and it delivers a narrative that reflects both peoples’ internally held distrust, dislike and at times malice against each other that has resulted from their differing cultures, experiences and languages. All of which contribute to making their road to peace an extremely rocky one.

The world-building in this book is really, really good, it totally reflects both cultures and environments and goes above and beyond to bring you right into their worlds. The book is driven very much from multiple character POVs
• Tila: Sister to the Naridan God-King, who holds a secret persona
• Saana: A Tjakorshan Chief of the Brown Eagle Clan
• Daimon: The adopted son of the Lord of Blackcreek
• Rikkut: A strong and fearsome Tjakorsha warrior
• Jeya: An Alaban thief

Whilst this book does tell the story from multiple cultures, the two stand out characters for me where Daimon and Saana. They carry the majority of the story and felt more real and developed to me, which definitely helped me to engage more with them and their stories.

Cultures working together isn’t something you normally see in an epic fantasy, which does make this book stand out. Yet, the tension and frustrations were still there and the clash of cultures was definitely interesting! And, whilst the story was mainly based at Black Keep, other storylines in the world were also explored, I’m already intrigued to see how these will be developed in future books.

This book was definitely a refreshingly different sort of fantasy read that was well executed and definitely pulled me in as a reader. And of course, there were War Dragons!!!! Did I mention the War Dragons – again these didn’t match the traditional flying beast we are all used to in epic fantasy reads, but definitely terrifying and fearsome!

If you are a lover of epic fantasy or any form of fantasy read, I’d recommend picking this up, if only for the breath of fresh air it brings to the genre.

eARC received from Little, Brown Book Group UK, thank you. All opinions are my own.

Read it if you like: The Ruin of Kings, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Brandon Sanderson. Be prepared for gore.

A strong new voice in fantasy with a totally immersive world, epic characters and unforgettable narratives.

ELLO WHATS THIS:
Black Keep has feared the raiders for generations and when they see their ships on the horizon they fear the day has come when they will die. But the Tjakorsha only want to settle, driven out of their land by a demonic despot, they have no choice. Can this new society survive with its new merged fragile community?

The flow and pace of this book was amazing, I loved this inventive , fleshed out world. The research was done on this one folks. There was really something fresh about this style and world. I loved how the gender in this world was represented, everything about this book just made sense.

I think if you dislike multiple POV’s you won’t like this, it has 5 in total. The main ones were really Saana and Daimon though.

WHY 3 STARS ONLY THO:
If you are wondering why it doesn’t have a higher rating from me, I just felt a little disconnect that changed this from a 4 to a 3 but overall this is going to be a hit with fantasy fans. I also felt the multiple POV’s were a little too much for me and the weird third party dialogue was odd but I enjoyed this fantasy very very much.

Definitely read this if you like warring clans, politics, action scenes and gore. This is really about two clans getting along in the midst of turmoil. Interesting worlds, interesting characters, thank me later friends!

Rating: 3
The Black Coast by Mike Brooks
The God-King Chronicles Part 1
Series – unknown
Publish Date: 18 February 2021
Cover Rating: 5/10
Adult – Fantasy – Epic Fantasy - Dragons

In the land of Narida, honour is everything. The people are ruled over by thanes and noble sars - dragon riding warriors who exemplify martial prowess as they wield their deadly longblades. The small Naridan town of Black Keep has stood against the savage, fur-clad raiders of Tjakorsha before, but when the Brown Eagle clan arrive on their shores in overwhelming numbers, the odds seem insurmountable. Much to their surprise, however, it emerges that the clan have fled their homeland, and mean to settle peacefully. Can the two sides forgive each other and learn to work together? And have the Tjakorshi managed to outrun their destruction at the hands of a deadly new enemy?

Opening with a meeting between the current God-King of Narida and his long-suffering sister Tila, it’s immediately obvious that Brooks has a knack for writing excellent dialogue. Conversations throughout The Black Coast are consistently entertaining to read, while also establishing key facts about the cultures of the different characters and moving the plot on - sometimes all at once. But these conversations have an extra layer of significance, as it’s important to note not just what is being said, but how the characters are saying it. Modes of speech vary between the three peoples represented here; though the Tjakorshi language doesn’t seem to have any particularly unusual concepts to grasp, Naridans refer to themselves in the third person - “This man is tired” instead of “I am tired,” for example - while Alabans represent their gender through different diacritics over conventional pronouns (me, mé, mē, mê, mè and më being the first example given).

This might seem like a lot to take in, or that it could make the prose difficult to read, but actually it’s not only elegant, it’s eminently logical and an extremely intelligent piece of worldbuilding. Much of The Black Coast is concerned with the idea of cultures clashing as opposed to armies; there are misunderstandings, faux-pas, quarrels and compromises as the Tjakorshi attempt to make a new home for themselves among their former enemies. The language barrier is a constant problem for them, and by making each language seem completely distinct, the cultural identity of everyone is constantly reinforced whilst simultaneously emphasising how alien the different nations find each other. It really is inspired.

Much of the actual work of forming an alliance falls on the shoulders of Saana Sattistutar - chief of the Brown Eagle clan - and Daimon Blackcreek, sar of Black Keep. The relationship between them feels believably strained, as they struggle to overcome their differences and prevent their people erupting into violence. There is a very strong sense that both of them are constantly wrestling with years of their own traditions, their laws, their cultures, even their very way of being in an attempt to broker peace. This process is not rushed - the kind of differences and bad blood these two nations have can’t be resolved over dinner or with a hastily drawn up treaty - and for every step forward they take it seems as if they then take two back. Their discussions, disagreements and careful negotiations feel utterly believable.

The Black Coast certainly isn’t all talk though. Blood is spilled by the bucketload, with decapitations, slashed throats and severed limbs spraying a plentiful amount of claret across the pages. One on one fights are guaranteed to set hearts racing, and are written with what feels almost like a fight choreographer’s eye for spectacle in terms of stances and moves. Larger scale engagements are visceral and atmospheric, chases are desperate and exciting - when Brooks decides that it’s time for action, he certainly doesn’t disappoint. Even the dragons, that fantasy stalwart, have a distinct flair to them; their varying breeds and temperaments, along with their feathery plumage, make them seem both more realistic and more unique than many of the numerous other examples out there.

Outside the relatively small setting of Black Keep, Tila undertakes a scheme of her own, in an attempt to rid her and her brother of the longstanding irritation of a rival claim to the throne emanating from Alaba. Oblivious to the machinations of those in power, young Jeya is meanwhile on the lookout for easy marks to lift purses from, crossing paths with a wealthy young nobleman and quickly finding her simple life of crime becoming complicated. These are entertaining threads to follow, particularly Tila’s, with huge implications for the direction the story could take in the future. By the end of The Black Coast, you will be both thoroughly satisfied yet desperate to know more - the perfect state to leave a reader in at the beginning of a series.

Combining extensive, anthropologically tinged worldbuilding to rival that of Becky Chambers with explosive and dynamic action scenes, Mike Brooks has really crafted something special here. Tongues wag as heads roll, bonds are forged as bones are broken. This man approves.

Compelling, influential, resonating and ground-breaking.

If you want a story that sucks you in from the very first, a story that you can’t put down, then pick up “The Black Coast” by Mike Brooks.

Firstly, I was struck with the quality of the writing after just the very first chapter. This story and the unusual/different, yet easy-to-understand way it was written, pulled me in and I didn’t want to stop reading.

As the story progressed, it reminded me of my travels and how different cultures address people of varying stature and age differently. Many Eastern cultures place great importance on this, as do one particular group in this book. By the end of the book, I could recognise at least 3 different cultures and attitudes that I recognise from around the world.

I love, love, love the way beliefs and attitudes were confronted. Some quite sensitive topics were handled extremely well, thank you to Mike Brooks for that!

I would highly recommend this book, as it has noteworthy substance and strikingly salient and significant themes that all readers ought to engage with. It is also a relatable fantasy that is a good place to start for new-to-fantasy readers. And of course, there are dragons!


- The blurb from the publisher, as they do it best -

WAR DRAGONS.
FEARSOME RAIDERS.
A DAEMONIC WARLORD ON THE RISE.

When the citizens of Black Keep see ships on the horizon, terror takes them because they know who is coming: for generations, the keep has been raided by the fearsome clanspeople of Tjakorsha. Saddling their war dragons, Black Keep's warriors rush to defend their home only to discover that the clanspeople have not come to pillage at all. Driven from their own land by a daemonic despot who prophesises the end of the world, the raiders come in search of a new home . . .

Meanwhile the wider continent of Narida is lurching toward war. Black Keep is about to be caught in the crossfire - if only its new mismatched society can survive.

THE START OF AN UNMISSABLE FANTASY SERIES.

Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group for an advance copy.


@BubblyBookReviewer
Amazon & Social Media links to be applied closer to/on publication day.

Recently had the pleasure of reading an e-arc copy of Black Coast by Mike Brooks.
This is definitely the start of a huge epic fantasy. Unique speaking styles and multiple PoVs create such huge depth of world building. Really can’t wait to read more
4 stars!

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars)

This book was enjoyable and easy read with multiple POV’s and great world-building!

What first got my attention was the cover of this book which is gorgeous. Then I read the synopsis and I was confirmed that I must read a book that has war-dragons, clans and warriors, ships, and raiders.

I think the best part of the book was its world-building. When the story was told from Saana’s and Daimon’s POVs, I could almost smell the ocean and there definitely were some Viking vibes. On the other hand, when we were following Tila and Jeya the atmosphere was different (large cities), but nevertheless enjoyable. And there were dragons! Flightless war-mounts and wild dragons, some were herbivores and some predators.

I think I’ve never read a book with this many POVs (main POVs Saana and Daimon, side POVs e.g. Jeya, Tila, Rikkut), but to my surprise they were quite easy to remember and follow, their plots were so different. My favourite character was Saana and I really enjoyed reading the events in the town of Black Keep.

Since there were so many characters and plot lines, it left less room for delving deeper into the characters. And since I’m a character driven reader, the POVs stayed a bit distant for me and I couldn’t relate to them enough. But this is my personal preference, and I believe that people who enjoy plot driven books will find this story to be great!

Some type of names, such as Saana Sattistutar, were interesting. The “tutar” in Sattistutar reminds a lot of Finnish word tytär which means daughter. This is quite old-fashioned name structure in Finland, but we still have them (I think this is common in Iceland though). Saana is also a woman’s name in Finland. These names fitted so well in my mouth and mind, for once I felt it was easy to pronounce them 😊 I’m curious to know where Mike found the inspiration for the names!

I definitely want to continue to read this story, because there were still many things left open!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.
This is a big fantasy novel, full of big ideas and world building. In essence it is a culture clash, an invading armada turns out to be ancient enemies wanting now to settle in peace, escaping from a dangerous new leader in their homeland of Iwernia. But their risk in going to Narida is that they may not be welcome and, unknown to all, Narida is going to be having troubles of their own.
So, this is about cultures, divided loyalties, war, politics and so on. Boosted by the use of weird creatures, dragons, knights as well, this has a lot to offer. But, there is a large “but”….in the extensive world building the author has also gone for a specific language style that really didn’t work for me and distracted from the story. No, “He said” or “I said” it’s “this Lord said” type thing. Over the course of a long book, I never grew into it or felt comfortable with it. So the book became painful instead of letting me immerse myself in the story.
So lots to enjoy here, but undermined by its language and gender application.

This book is the first in The God King Chronicles, and sets the scene for what promises to be an excellent series.

We are introduced to the Black Keep, a township which has always, and frequently been raided by the Tjakorshi’s. However on this occasion when they see the terrifying ships arrive, murder and pillaging is not on their agenda.

We follow the two clans as they try to get along, with all the pitfalls you would expect.

I make light of the plot above because you can read all you want to know from the book’s description, but this is not a light boring book, it’s full to the brim of action, plot, character building, and yes...fear!

It’s an excellent book, and it really does take time to set us up for the next book. I can’t wait to see what book two has instore..:

My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the advance copy

I received a copy of this book for free from Little Brown Book Group through Netgalley, which I thank, all opinions are my own.

What a great debut (for fantasy) from this author.
Told from the viewpoint of several characters, the main story is set with a clan having to flee from a demon to try and settle peacefully in the land that they once pillaged.

The market is perhaps overloaded with books that have generic material focusing on warring kingdoms, however this author has created something quite refreshing with a large amount of focus going into the cultures trying to meld together (and indeed not successfully at times) whilst managing to keep the purist in me happy with a great plot. This touch on anthropology helps bring added depth and realism. Sexuality, racism, religion and class are all addressed well.

There are also, dare I call them, sub-plots in other lands again bringing difference which are equally enthralling. This was a slight hinderance perhaps at the start of the book with lots to remember each time a character changed, but the author soon turns this around and managed to get me wondering as regards the connections. Yes, it is an epic, but once you get your own head around those differences in cultures and characters it is a joy to read.

A great heroic fantasy debut by mike Brooks. The Black Coast tells the story of chief Saana bringing her clan a town their people raided for generations. Unlike prior generations, she came here to settle peacefully and live with its local people in an attempt to avoid an evil force in their homeland. We follow a diverse set of characters as the two people find significant disagreements over their cultures that they need to overcome.
Mike Brooks has created a very immerging world and attaching characters that all have their qualities and faults. I look forward to reading the sequel!

I received a copy of this book for free from Little Brown Book Group through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I must admit the first 25% of this book was a struggle for me. Lost of different people in lots of different places doing lots of different things. Once I got my head around that I felt the story was incredibly strong and I really would love to know what happens next.

I felt this book was a brilliant exploration of homophobia, gender, sexism, class distinction and xenophobia. Its an interesting look into what being "civilised" really means. Having read that the author wrote this post Brexit referendum its even clearer what he was trying to achieve. A world in which people can address the negatives in their culture by learning from the culture of others.

Whilst none of the characters are what I would call loveable, I still cared about what would happen to them. I will read the rest of the books when they're published.

I was kindly given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The idea was interesting - warring people settling (almost like a viking/saxon vibe). It was focused in 3 very different areas/lands with very different people and cultures. If you enjoy fantasy books, tribes, warfare, ancient gods, dragons etc. this book has all of it!

It's interesting that there are layers to how people share their gender - with different ways of saying 'she' and 'he'. I would have liked to have had a page at the start of the book that explained which was which as I'd forgotten within a few pages which were the higher females, lower females etc. It was also quite interesting to have a fantasy book with more forward views of sexual partners - gay partners etc. I would have also liked a map and cast of characters at the front to help visualise locations.

I recommend this book if you're a fan of fantasy and I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

This a sprawling, epic slice of fantasy that hints at a number of further volumes to come and a world that is begging to be explored.
Built around the concept of two cultures being drawn together to try and get past a history of skirmishes and battles and forge a shared future.
Written from different points of view, Brooks effortlessly allows the reader to understand the needs, wants and fears of different factions.
This is a very good start to what could easily be a five star epic of a fantasy series!

This book is very complex, and there are many different characters and areas to remember which are all thrown at you are the start. I found it so hard to understand what was going on, and who was who. I struggled with the discussions between characters, with the third person being used a lot.
I didn't really enjoy this too much, but I am impressed with the writing style and the concept is good, it just isn't for me.

The Black Coast is a book following two opposing tribes on the brink of war as they attempt to settle themselves and come together. The structure of the book, although now common in many fantasy novels, is one that I really struggle to get my head around and always ruins the book for me. Every single chapter swaps between characters from various tribes, and although it’s interesting to see how they are viewing the various scenarios, it quickly becomes confusing and I personally find it more difficult to get into a book. I am hoping that one day I’ll find a book that changes my mind, but unfortunately, like many other novels before it, I believe this one has lost its potential to be numerous amazing books. One factor that I did really love, and I strongly believe isn’t seen enough in this genre is the use of different genders including trans and non-binary. If I could I would have given the book a 5* rating just for this factor alone as it isn’t seen often enough, and the way the author incorporated it made sense within the time line.

If I had looked more at the style and make-up of this book rather than just the storyline, I would probably not have chosen to read it. Personally, I have no real challenge if a person cannot make up their mind whether they are an Arthur or a Martha but I really do not see why it is necessary to speak to or about them with a jumble of pronouns. Black Coast drove me to distraction with its pronouns and the number of story thread chapters.

Having said all that, I felt it necessary to persevere to get at least a slightly better view of a book written in a style for someone other than myself. Sadly, I failed and not because of the pronouns but because of the number of story thread chapters, none of which really fired my imagination. The latter finally got the better of me.