Blog tour: Dark Forge, by Miles Cameron

Is there anything better than escaping the cold London winter by escaping to a fantastic land where magic rules and evil stalks the earth?

I thought not. And this is why Dark Forge by Miles Cameron- the second in what I imagine is a trilogy- is so great. It’s the perfect slice of escapism, albeit one that grows steadily darker and more twisted than its predecessor.

So, where are we? We catch up with our hero, Aranthur, just before the start of a battle. The Pure- a group of religious and magical zealots- are terrorising the land, and he’s part of the army that’s been put together to try and stop them. But that’s not all: something darker is at play. Dark forces are terrorising the land, and Aranthur is about to play a bigger part in trying to stop them than he ever realised…

Like Cold Iron, this book really enters into the grand tradition of sweeping epic fantasy novels, but what is remarkable is how different it feels in tone. This is a considerably darker novel; away from the hijinks and many, many coincidental meetings of the first book, this is all about the bloody cost of war, and of sacrifice. Who’s on whose side? The differences aren’t so clear cut: enemies are friends, and people who should be friends become enemies. That uncertainty lends a gripping breathlessness to the book, and kept me reading long into the night.

I was definitely rewarded as the story wore on. Though it starts off slowly- and, for people who haven’t read Cold Iron in a while (ie. me), confusingly- Cameron weaves a gripping tale of bloodshed, danger and magic. His worldbuilding is as compelling as it was in the first book, adding layer upon layer of myth and history to his characters and his land until it feels as complex as any country you could visit in real life. The Pure, especially, are an intriguing enemy. The introduction of the supernatural ‘disciplines’ was an especially chilling touch, and left me curious to see where Cameron plans to take them in future.

And, of course, his characters are just as compelling and- let’s say it- loveable as they were the first time we met them. As a main character, and hero, Aranthur is interesting: he’s very much a work in progress, but has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. It’s clear that he’s becoming a hero, but for me the best moments of the story were where Aranthur gets to be human and vulnerable, rather than noble and self-sacrificial.

One thing I like about Aranthur, though, is the complexities of the relationships he forms with the people around him- with Dahlia, his ex-lover and now loyal friend, and with Inoques, the mysterious woman he meets, and, randomly, marries (!). Cameron has a knack for making these relationships feel warm and lived-in: the only regret I had was that we spent less time exploring them, as we were whisked from battle to battle with exhausting regularity. Hopefully, next time we’ll see more of the people I missed this time round, especially Tiy Drako.

So, as this particular chapter (no pun intended) in Aranthur’s life closes, where does this leave us?

Well, it left me raring to get my hands on the next instalment. Dark Forge is a book by a fantasy writer at the height of his powers. Compelling, brutal, beautifully imagined and just that little bit twisted, it casts a spell over the reader- albeit one you won’t want to break.

So that’s my review, but what does everybody else think? Find out in the rest of the blog tour below- and buy it here!