Not your average post-apocalyptic read
The Interminables
by Paige Orwin
Angry Robot
Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pub Date 05 Jul 2016
Review
The Interminables is a simply smashing read. Where else but within the chaotic aftermath of a Wizard war would you find such an unusual and compelling pair of heroes. I use the term loosely as a wizard who steals handfuls of time from others and a ghost who is both the embodiment of the violence of war and a skilled physician are not what you would expect for leads. At the same time, Paige Orwin makes it easy for the reader to empathize with both, particularly Istvan, who cares a great deal for his friend Edmund but doesn't know how to ease his suffering. For me, it was the character aspect of The Interminables which held the most appeal.
While the story initially looks straightforward, it quickly becomes more complex. It is important to understand that the Wizard war resulted in a multitude of dimensions and times being folded together. Like in a dream, paradoxes cause no challenge, but never fear - at no point does it descend into gobbledygook.
The Interminables is definitely post-apocalyptic, but thankfully it is vastly different (and far more interesting) than the vast number of almost indistinguishable post-apocalyptic novels gracing bookstore shelves. Paige Orwin is an author to watch.
5/5
I received a copy of The Interminables from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
It's 2020, and a magical cataclysm has shattered reality as we know it. Now a wizard's cabal is running the East Coast of the US, keeping a semblance of peace.
Their most powerful agents, Edmund and Istvan -- the former a nearly immortal 1940s-era mystery man, the latter, well, a ghost -- have been assigned to hunt down an arms smuggling ring that could blow up Massachusetts.
Turns out the mission's more complicated than it seemed. They discover a shadow war that's been waged since the world ended, and, even worse, they find out that their own friendship has always been more complicated than they thought. To get out of this alive, they'll need to get over their feelings, their memories, and the threat of a monstrous foe who's getting ready to commit mass murder...
