The Modern World

Book review
Written by Steph Swainston
Gollancz hardback
Release date Out now

The Emperor San and his circle of Immortals hold back a living tide of monstrous insects from devouring the four lands. The Emperor’s messenger, Jant, has got better things to do than look for a missing girl… Or has he?

Steph Swainston’s third Castle book really is a treat. Even if you haven’t read the first two books in this setting, things soon slot into place. The Modern World is told from the perspective of Jant, the Emperor’s winged messenger, who spends much of the book flying from place to place. This lends the book pace, as well as insight from Jant’s unique perspective.

In the Castle, the Immortal Emperor shares his longevity with a circle of the best specialists humanity has to offer. These heroes aid San in the long-running war against the insects: huge voracious pests that threaten not just the four lands but many dimensions.

From its first brutally violent chapter (indeed, from the very first page), The Modern World shows its colours as a great story written in modern, gritty vernacular. Swainston is not afraid to take the fantasy rulebook, set it on fire and throw it out the nearest window. She has an abundance of imagination, a flair for the surreal and real writing chops to back it all up. Den Patrick